The Farland Files

Implicit Demand For Proof

Master Gorven, the London Branch Bank Manager, stared at her in shock.

Lena just braided her messy hair calmly, her golden circlet resting on her knee for the moment as she stared back at him.

Breaking the silence by clearing his throat, Gorven slid a flat stone her way. "Press your hand to the stone and state your magical name. If you are who you say, it will light up, if not then you will be branded with the mark of a line thief."

"Very well." Holding her braid in one hand, she pressed the other to the stone. "Lena Farland-Slytherin."

The stone glowed a soft green color.

"Lady Slytherin... May I ask how you are alive? Minister Malfoy, Albus Dumbledore, and Lord Gaunt were all at your funeral."

"When on my travels, I happened to spend some time on the Island of Hellena, where I became quite close with the gods. Specifically, Ares, who I think of as a father." Gently taking her circlet and putting it back on her head, she smiled thinly. "He asked me to kill him, so I did. But as no mortal has ever killed a god before, I can only assume that I was granted a boon from the gods, as when I got to the Underworld, Hades sent me back."

Ten points for the Guide for helping her lie through her teeth.

Gorven looked at her with wide eyes, clearing his throat once more as he stood. "Well. The clan has special sorts of... circumstances for rebirths where we can nullify the declaration of death, though as you can imagine we don't use them very often." He smiled sharply. "Would you like for us to send any sort of missives out with the news?"

"I can do that myself, though I would pay for the use of an office to do such, as well as for someone to collect the materials needed for a seventh-year Hogwarts student. I do have a promise to keep, after all." She cracked her knuckles as she looked at the walls covered in bookshelves. "Do you perhaps know the date?"

"It is September second as of..." He glanced at his watch. "Two hours ago."

The process of coming back to life must have taken longer than the Guide thought.

Oh well.

She just smiled. "Perfect."

Gorven moved to the door. "I'll show you to the office. Do you have a need for new robes for school as well?" He cast an eye over her current state of dress.

"Oh, no, I'll be fine once I get there, as I'm sure I can find something to change into once I'm there." She followed him to a small room that had a large window out to the alley and she dipped her head. "Thank you though."

When he left, she just sunk into a nearby seat and took a small sip of her wine, rubbing her temples. She had a headache from all the... everything.

Colors.

Sounds.

Light.

Everything.

She'd spent over two months as a bodiless train of thought, buried under dirt without any of those things and it had taken every single ounce of her willpower to make it here- now that she was here she was just bloody tired. She just wanted to sleep, curl up and not think about how her last memory was Credence being-...

Lena shook her head slightly, sitting up in the chair and choosing instead to sing the hymn to Nyx as she wrote out the same short explanation to the Addams, Janus, Gellert, and the Flamels with the paper and ink on the nearby desk. As well she added a lengthy apology to Wednesday and the rest of her Ilvermorny friends to the Addams' letter and a short but sweet letter for Severus in the Flamels' letter. Folding the parchments smoothly and writing the names on them, she looked up to see that the dark was breaking slowly.