Chapter 402 - Ethel Greengrass

In the middle of a still snow-covered forest, a group of fur cloaked individuals shivered from the bitter chills. With every breath that they take clouds of mist swistly emerge from their chest as if they were some sort of mystical creatures. With teeth clattering, the shortest member of the group, a late-middle-aged, pudgy wizard with delicate-looking features complains, "Grandmama, it's cold."

Everyone in the group turns their head in unison towards the figure standing at the very back of their group, Ethel Greengrass. The elderly woman is wearing a thin, embroidered cloak despite the freezing cold. Her waist-long hair is still golden-white despite her advanced age. There are traces of wrinkles on her face, but her skin is still as moon bright as in her youth. And her piercing light-colored eyes are still as hypnotic and intense as ever.

The elderly Veela raises her fierce birdlike gaze to meet that of her grandson, Mordecai Greengrass. The pudgy wizard quivers as if he was still a child and looks away in shame. None of the other figures dare to protest now as the elderly Veela says, "The moon is nearing its peak, we must hurry."

"Yes, grandmama," all her descendants said in a unified chorus, before making the way before her and allowing to walk behind them at her own pace just as she always liked it.

As Ethel Greengrass moves forward her Veela hair fans out naturally despite there not being a breeze. It was an additional gift of their magical heritage. And it was quite useful to keep one's long hair from becoming tangled up.

Her sharp eyes observe the back of her countless descendants. In her youth, she had been a proud and very beautiful Veela much like her sisters. However, one day against all odds she met a wizard, who came from afar. She was curious and watched the wizard. With time, he gained her trust, and before she knew it came time for the wizard to depart and return to his own land.

Ethel's heart for the first time in her life broke, she simply could not allow the wizard to leave. And so, she made a choice, she chose to leave her grandmother, mother, aunts, sisters, and cousins to follow the wizard back to his homeland. But despite the fierce heartache it had brought her, she had never once regretted following her mate back to his cold, wetland.

They were greatly blessed in their union; Ethel bore her mate six daughters and a single son. Veela's only bore daughters, when they mated with other magical beings. And they would only bare a son, when they mated with a wizard. She did not truly mind and was greatly pleased that she could aid her mate in continuing his family name as it was of great importance to a wizarding family.

Her six daughters all devasting beautiful were sent to Beauxbaton's, when the time came, and they inherited their wizarding magic. She wished for her daughters to meet with her matriarchal clan. And they did, her daughters all learned the old ways, which filled her with immense pride and joy to know that her lineage would go on.

As for her son, he was sent to Hogwarts to keep the old ways of her mate alive. And she did not truly mind as it was only fitting that the son followed in her mate's footsteps. And her son in fact do so, becoming a powerful wizard by his own merit.

When at long last, when her children came of age, they all married. All of her daughters married wizards of her homeland. Which was only proper as the land of their foremother's called to them in their blood. Each of her daughters bore many daughters of their own and only one son was borne to each of them.

Despite knowing that every single of her six daughters resided in her native homeland afar from her, Ethel was still filled with great pride knowing that she had made her clan proud. Her matriarchal clan was proud of the great strength she had added to them by the many daughters she had borne. And the many more descendants that had been added to the clan.

However, she was not the only Veela that had elected such a difficult path in life. Some years ago, the daughter of her youngest sister, a beautiful Veela had also fallen for a wizard from their homeland and mated with him. Tragically, her niece's mate perished early on in a most unexpected accident resulting in only one single daughter being born unto them.

Ethel only too well understood the pain of losing her mate. After her youngest and only son, Nicodemus mated with a witch, he sired three daughters and against all impossible odds, two sons, Mordecai and Benedict. However, it was not meant to be. During the most recent wizardinf war, her husband, son, and his wife all perished in an unexpected attack led by that evil wizard, Grindelwald, and his followers!

Still, like a Hen hawk gathering her eyas's under her wings, Ethel raised the five children of her son. Having lost their father, mother, and grandfather all at the same time, her chicklets were unexpectedly rather close to her. Her three granddaughters despite learning the old ways from the clan, all mated with wizards belonging to the cold, wetland of her deceased mate as did Mordecai. But the youngest of her eyas's, Benedict mated with a witch of her own native homeland.

Her granddaughter's each bore many daughters and only a single son. As for her two grandsons, Mordechai had a son named, Salinger, and two daughters, Edna and Rosie. And although the last child did not possess any wizarding magic, she was all that much dear to Ethel's heart. Unlike her elder sister, Rosie could feel the old ways and respected them despite her debility.

Ether's eyes turn to glance at the youngest of her chicklets, Benedict. He was certainly taller than his elder brother but more slender with golden silver-like hair, and bright hazel eyes. There was a light of mischief in his eyes much like that of her own deceased mate.

This mischievous eyas had four daughters: Cornelia, Elspeth, Eudora, and Henrietta. All four girls had married wizards belonging to her mate's wet homeland, and each had already borne one to three daughters of their own but had yet to bear their wizard mates a son. However, there was still one more chic left, the son of her chicklet, Terry named after her deceased mate, Terrance. The mischief eyed child took after his father but was still rather young and attended Hogwarts.

Ethel nose flares as she scents the air and glances up at the moon. The time was drawing steadily near and she must confirm her suspicions. Moving rapidly forward for one of her age, she quickly caught up to her descendants, and said, "Pick up the pace!"

The shivering fur-coated witches and wizards pick up the pace obediently and hurry forward down the familiar path that they had all taken every winter since becoming an adult. It had been a magical, mystical event when they were newly adults, but now older and married, it seemed to be only a tiresome chore. But not a single one of them had the courage to debate that fine point of topic with the matriarch of their family.

However, foolish they might be none of them were stupid enough to say that to grandmama's face especially considering the fact that she was a Veela. They had seen her throw fires balls from her hands and transform into a bird-like creature with scaly wings when furious, that they all knew better at this point than to argue.

At least most of them did, but Benedict did try to rile her up every now and again. Then again, Benedict was also the only one whom grandmama never seemed to become truly mad at. Not that the Veela would ever admit it, but she doted heavily on this chicklet for much like Rosie, he too had a special spot in her fiery Veela heart.