Chapter 471 - Naming Ceremony

It is late afternoon as shadows are long across the lawn and even creep onto a red oak desk. Sitting at the desk is Rowan, who is all dressed up and reading a letter that had arrived earlier that afternoon. She looks rather elegant in fine silk robes that are blue and silver embroidered in the Prince family colors. There is even tiny silver embroidered, enchanted wyverns on the cuffs of her sleeves that move about.

Though Rowan is still wearing trousers, but not for long if Aunt Georgine had anything to do with it. Georgine would ensure that Rowan wore a dress for the ceremony that was going to take place during the winter break. Rowan had already been measured and a dress was in the works. There was no getting out of this one. But frankly it did not bother her too much as she would only have to wear it for one single evening. In retrospect, it could have been far worse.

Rowan finishes reading the letter from Silvia with a faint smile on her face. She had known from Terry's previous letter that he and his family would be visiting the Flint family in order to gain permission for a courtship between him and Silvia. And Silvia's letter had just confirmed the fact that their courtship had been approved by bother families. The courting couple would be allowed to court for the length of one full year to ensure that they were indeed a match, and only then would negotiations for a betrothal contract begin both families.

"Well at least Terry got out of the house," Rowan mumbled with a teasing glint, before folding the letter back up. She would reply to Silvia later, and also write up a congratulatory letter to Terry. It was the least she could do as she sincerely hoped her two friends the best of luck.

Glancing out of the window and out onto the lawns, Rowan rises and moves away from her desk. She pauses in front of the full-length mirror to study her reflection. Smoothing out a faint wrinkle, she pauses to stare at her left eye, which was now a half-silvery, gray.

At first, Rowan had been worried she had been going blind, but she still could see out of her left eye. Thankfully, the worst of the pain had dimmed down, but even more strange is that she had begun to see strange colored lights with her left eye every now and then. Either way, she could ill afford to visit a healer, nor much let her grandfather or Aunt Georgine know. She did not want them to pry any further, but only if she failed to find a solution over the course of the summer and only then would she finally resort to outside help.

Taking a deep breath, Rowan points her wand at her eye and mumbles the illusion spell that she had discovered in an old volume. The spell would certainly work; however, it would serve to cover her own eyesight as well. She had found that her depth perception had been completely affected and made her rather clumsy as well.

With a tired sigh, Rowan emerges from her bedroom and finds Severus waiting for in their shared corridor. Severus looked quite elegant in his matching colored blue and silver embroidered robes. Though he had begun to sound more like a man as of late as his voice was slowly stabilizing into the velvety masculine tone of voice that he would day have as an a.d.u.l.t.

"You look good, Severus" Rowan commented in passing with a small crooked grin on the corner of her face.

Severus snorts as if in disdain, despite feeling secretly pleased by the comment. "Well, you don't look to bad yourself, Rowan," Severus muttered out loud.

"That's only because you are excited to finally leave the house, Sev," Rowan replied with a wicked grin. "And also, because this will highly likely be the only outing that you will be permitted all summer long by grandfather. You really should be thanking, Aunt Georgine for her magnanimity in accepting the proposal of the Avery family as Godmother."

Severus let out a growl, but before he can reply, they had already arrived in the front hall. Knowing better than to allow his grandfather to hear his comment, Severus snaps his mouth shut and lets his sentence die in the back of his mouth. He would rather not dig a deeper pit for himself, and the jump in willingly. Give him some credit, he was not that stupid! (The exception par of course was the poor decision making which had led to his current punishment.)

Waiting in the hallway is the two slender figures of Reginald and Georgine Prince. Reginald looked regal and elegant as usual in robes, while Georgine wore a matching colored gown with silver goblin forged jewelry pieces. The glittering silver jewelry is embedded with sapphire and precious diamonds. The jewelry ensemble is a breathtaking piece of mastery that is worth a fortune.

"You look lovely, Aunt Georgine," Rowan sincerely complimented her great-aunt.

"Of course, what else was to be expected?" Georgine loftily replied, but still looked rather pleased by the compliment.

Rowan nudges Severus with her elbow, who finally mutters, "Yes, it is an excellent ensemble."

"Naturally," Georgine proudly replied, "not that a child like you would know good taste if it bit him in the nose."

Severus scowls fiercely at his aunt, while Georgine smugly smirks back. Rowan rolls her eyes at their antics, while Reginald merely shakes his head at their childish pettiness. "Let us depart, the Avery family is waiting for us," Reginald wisely declared, before Georgine and Severus began to argue like children.

Reginald leads the way to the main hearth in the front hall. Standing in front of the hearth, he says, "Georgine shall floo first, since she is the guest of honor. Then followed by me, and then you two. I expect both of you properly behave yourselves, this is a solemn event. Is that understood?"

"Yes, grandfather," Rowan and Severus replied dutifully.

Reginald nods his head at the twins, before gesturing to his sister to go first. Grabbing a pinch of glittering powder from a silver case on the stand, Georgine tosses it into the flames. The orange flames turn emerald green as she steps inside and shouts, "Avery Hall."

Once the flames have returned to their original color, Reginald follows quickly after. Glancing at each other, Rowan says, "So, who goes first?"

"You, Rowan," Severus drily answered, "even I know my manners."

"Finally," Rowan snickered in reply causing Severus to glower back at her already in regret. He should have really known better!

With mischievous laughter dancing in her eyes, Rowan grabs a pinch of glittering powder, before tossing it into the flames. The flames quickly rise and turn emerald green as she steps towards the flames and shouts, "Avery Hall," before swirling away as if down a sink drainage. As usual it was a most unpleasant experience, but it no longer left her feeling queasy.