beauty will rise

by AslansCompass

Summary:

Voldemort's first rise in the 1970s led to terror and destruction throughout wizarding Britain. The Death Eaters killed many people of all ages, but their cruelty was most keenly felt by their youngest victims. Even after the attack on Godric's Hollow failed, the pain of those losses remained a constant ache.

The Scamanders are just some of the people trying to create a better future, but nothing can erase the past.

Notes:

This collection and the chapters are titled after Steven Curtis Chapman's 2009 album Beauty Will Rise. The album explores his family's grief and hope after his 5-year-old daughter died in a tragic automobile accident.

Chapter 1: Heaven is the Face

Heaven is the Face
Heaven is the face of a little girl
With dark brown eyes
That disappear when she smiles

Chapter 5: Faithful

I am broken, I am bleeding
I'm scared and I'm confused
But You are faithful
Yes, You are faithful

16 June 1977 

"She's not coming back."

Tina slammed the fridge door. "You don't know--"

"Mum," Phyllis set down the bowl she was drying and looked her mother in the eye. "She's not coming back until it's over. One way or the other."

"I already washed the sheets and remade the beds. I won't just leave them empty. If she wants--"

"All she wants right now is to get the bastards who did this." As a minister's wife, Phyllis didn't swear often, but some occasions demanded it. "And if I had a chance, I'd be with her right in a heartbeat. Losing a child-all your children--those devils deserve everything that's coming to them."

"I can't imagine losing even one of you.  The Ministry's ultimatum regarding Val and Maureen was bad enough."

"I talked to both of them yesterday. They're coming to the memorial--whenever we decide to hold it--but neither one had seen Gwen in months."

"I'm losing her. Maybe I lost her for good at Ollivander's that day, and the past two years were just an illusion." Tina sighed. "Even if she survives, I don't know if I'll recognize her. Everything that's happened to her--I was looking at photos the other day and I saw one from Cameroon, the three of them hunting tadpoles in the mud--so carefree, so merry. And I think of how she looked that night--and--what happened to her? What happened to my little girl?"

Tina sniffled. "I was so worried about the kids, especially Marie. At Christmas, with that collage--I basically told her to straighten up and get on with it. That she was being selfish for grieving. Maybe if I'd paid more attention--if I'd noticed,"

"The Death Eaters wouldn't have killed them?" Phyllis said dryly. 

"If we'd watched them that night--"

"The Bones offered. And the kids wanted to go. They needed time with people their own age. And you were right at Christmas. Marie needed to know why Gwen was crying. At least they could cry together." Phyllis filled the kettle with water and put it on the stove. "You and Dad did everything you could. Now, you have a much harder job. Waiting."

Tina didn't answer. She reached into the cabinet for some tea bags and set them on the counter. 

"Do you know the story of the prodigal son?"

"Maybe?" 

"It's from the book of Luke.  A young man left his father's household and recklessly spent everything he had.  Eventually, he came to his senses and decided to go home and beg for a position as a servant. But when his father saw him coming, the father ran out to meet him and embraced him with joy. It's one of three parables in the chapter--the other two are about a lost coin and a lost sheep. In those stories, someone went looking for the lost item. But the father had to wait. He couldn't drag his son back by force."

"Even if we knew where she was--"

Phyllis nodded. "Who knows where Gwen will end up?  But we will be right here, waiting, when she decides to come home."

Chapter 6: Questions

Who are You, God?
For You are turning out to be
So much different than I imagined

And where are you, God?
Cause I am finding life to be
So much harder than I had planned

November 1975

Julius sat at the kitchen table, ignoring the bowl of oatmeal at his elbow. The Wizengamot meeting had run late again, despite very little being accomplished. The Dark Lord's followers seemed to be everywhere, capable of striking again at any time. 

Hogsmeade, at least, should have been safe.  Vivan had been so excited about visiting for the first time; Nimue had promised to show her all the best shops and treat her to the best the Three Broomsticks had to offer. 

The headmaster had immediately suspended all Hogsmeade visits indefinitely, tightening security around the castle. A team of aurors had been sent to reinforce the anti-apparition wards, while the professors set up a rota of internal patrols. 

In some ways, it felt like his childhood, anxiously watching the night sky for German bombers, hoping for the reassuring silhouettes of the RAF fighters in the flares of the incendiaries. 

But the Luftwaffe had certain limitations--fuel, atmospheric conditions, and equipment.

Apparition meant none of those factors mattered.  You could travel from Glasgow to London in seconds,  bypassing barricades or checkpoints. 

Everyone's howling for anti-apparition wards, as if it were as simple as brewing a bottle of pepper-up potion.  The Hogwarts wards are built on centuries of constant labor and regular upkeep, from times when uncontrolled magic meant fiery death. Even the Ministry headquarters couldn't sustain that constant flow of energy. 

Pureblood families had other ways of staying hidden, but what good did a Muggle-repealing charm do against the Death Eaters? If nothing else, it marked a wizarding residence.  

The stairs creaked softly. 

Julius sprang to his feet, wand ready. 

Footsteps drew closer. One person.

Not a group.

Benedict startled when he saw his dad sitting at the table. "You're home."

"What are you doing down here? It's late."

"You're eating breakfast."

Julius glanced at his bowl of oatmeal. "I think I'm full." 

"Aren't you going to finish it? Vivan always makes me--" Benedict bit off his sentence. "And Mum will be cross."

"Not if she doesn't know." Julius waved his wand. The remaining oatmeal vanished; the bowl scrubbed itself clean; and the cupboard doors flew open to add it to the stack.  

"You should be in bed. Come on, up to bed."

"Tell me a story!"

"I'm tired."

"I'll tell Mum." 

"Fine." Julius stowed his wand in his sleeve holster. "Which story do you want?"

"The Warlock's Hairy Heart." Benedict bounced up and down. "It's really scary."

"I don't want you to have nightmares."

Benedict stopped halfway up the stairs. "Well. I'm not...really sleepy."

Notes:

Julius is not the obvious choice for this chapter--he's not religious in the slightest. Instead, he's questioning his own beliefs. He prides himself on his magical power, ancestry, and society connections, but none of those things could save his daughters

Chapter 7: Our God is in Control

This is not how it should be
This is not how it could be
But this is how it is
And our God is in control

September 1975

"Are you okay?" Cliff regretted the words as soon as they were out of his mouth. Of course, they weren't okay. He, more than anyone else, should know that. "It's just Aunt Gwen and her kids."

"I don't know what to say," Sandra said. 

"You don't have to say anything," Maureen answered. "Just be there. Maybe you and Pat can take Betsy outside for a while. She looks really bored."

"Really?"

"I can ask if that's alright." Maureen walked over to Gwen and whispered something in her ear. Gwen nodded and motioned to Betsy. Joel and Marie followed. All three of them came back to the narthax with Maureen.

"It's fine," Maureen assured them. "Just don't wander off."

Pat scooped Betsy off the floor for a piggyback ride. The other cousins followed her out the main door, letting it shut quietly behind them. 

Maureen sighed deeply. "I hoped we'd never have to do this again."

"Wendy's been having nightmares. Sandy doesn't want to go anywhere, not even to school. I don't remember you being that way after Mum--"

"You were setting fires in your sleep!"

"By magic! What do you think Val might have done in my place?"

They both shuddered. 

Jo walked up with a tray of snacks and some water glasses.  "The refreshments are mostly ready. Queenie and Jacob will bring fresh bread for lunch tomorrow, and your mum's got some huge kettles of soup on the warmer. Do you think we have enough seating?"

"Oh, that reminds me. I have to pick up Chase tonight."

"And Pamela?"

"He's not told her yet. To be honest, I don't know if he ever will."

"But his parents--"

"Do you really think Julius will attend the wedding?"

Maureen winced. "Fair point."

"How are your kids doing, then?" Jo asked.

"Mostly, they don't care about wizarding stuff. But it was still a shock. Ethan and I talked a lot before deciding to let them stay home. I feel somewhat guilty, but--"

"I'm sure Gwen understands. She only brought Betsy and Joel because she couldn't bear to let them out of her sight. Marie begged to come. She's the same age I was when Mum died; I don't remember Father, but I can somewhat imagine--" Maureen glanced at the two caskets up front.  

"She's trying so hard to be responsible," Cliff commented. "Gwen told me the other day that she woke up to hear Betsy crying, but when she went to Betsy's room, Marie was already there, trying to calm her down. I know how that feels."

"We didn't have anyone else. Until Phil came along. Don't know what we would have done without her."

"Or if Mom and Dad hadn't agreed to take us in.  Of course, then the bloody Ministry had to get involved--"

"Cliff, not today." Jo sighed in exasperation. "Of all the times, not today."

Chapter 8: February 20th

God only knows
Everything that happened in that moment
God only knows
What He whispered to her heart
God only knows
Just how thankful I will always be
That he gave her mom and me
February 20th

26 September 1976

 

"Today's Old Testament passage will be from the book of Exodus, chapters 25-27. Please rise and join me in the reading." Patrick's voice filled the small sanctuary.

"Mummy, I can't find it," Joel whispered. 

Marie took the children's Bible from his hands and flipped through the pages. "Five, nine, thirteen--ah. Chapter 25."

Gwen opened her own Bible, following along "....And thou shalt cast four rings of gold for it, and put them in the four corners thereof; and two rings shall be in the one side of it, and two rings in the other side of it...."

"Mama, candy?" Betsy asked.

"Shh, honey," Gwen set down the Bible to dig in her purse. She grabbed a roll of Lifesavers and dropped it in Betsy's hands. "Share with your brother and sister."

She picked the Bible up again. "...and thou shalt put into the ark the testimony which I shall give thee..."

"I don't get it," Joel whispered.

"It's about building the ark." Marie told him.

"Like Noah?"

"No, the ark of the covenant. It was where Moses met God."

Joel's face scrunched up. "Didn't he have a church?"

"This was way before the church, dummy!"

"Mummy!"

"Marie, apologize to your brother."

"Well, it should be obvious. That's why it's called the Old Testament."

Gwen rubbed her forehead. "Shh, both of you."

"I'm quiet," Betsy announced, just as Patrick paused in the reading.

"--Thou shalt also make a table of shittim wood--"

Joel snickered.

"That's enough!" Gwen stood up and grabbed Joel by the shirt collar. "We are going outside to talk."

Phyllis met her sister's gaze and nodded. She slid over to her niece and nephew and sat down next to them. 

Patrick cleared his throat and continued with the reading.

 

---

Gwen marched Joel outside to a clump of pine trees. "What's gotten into you? All of you! You should know better. If you have questions--"

"He loves answering questions."

"Not during the service. Bloody hell, couldn't you just wait?" 

"It's boring. Every time you asked what we wanted to read, Lily would say, 'the building of the Tabernacle.' Blue and purple and red...why? Couldn't they just go to John Lewis?"

She bit back a chuckle. "It's a bit more complicated than that. God had very specific rules for building the tabernacle, because it was going to be his house on Earth."

"But God's house is in heaven. That's what everybody said at the funeral."

"It wasn't his real house. It was a tent. A really fancy tent, because God's people were traveling to the Promised Land. The tent was his way of showing that he was traveling with them. When they finally got to the Promised Land, they built the temple."

"Is God still in the temple?"

"The Temple was destroyed a long time ago. Now God lives in our hearts."

"I wish he still lived in the temple. Then I could go see him. And ask him to see Daddy and Lily."

Gwen turned away. "We should head back inside. Just--no more questions."

Notes:

Okay, which other church kids were obsessed with unusual Scripture passages as kids? For me, it actually was Exodus 25 and following.

Chapter 11: Jesus Will Meet You There

When you think you've hit the bottom
And the bottom gives way
And you fall into a darkness
No words can explain
And you don't know how you make it out alive
Jesus will meet you there

April 1981

Augusta paused just outside St. Mungo's doors. She barely noticed the mannequins anymore; the residents were far more pitiful. 

She stepped inside, barely nodding at the welcome witch before heading upstairs. The second floor  wasn't as chaotic as reception or as hectic as creature-induced injuries, but the effects of miscast spells were unpredictable. 

Today seemed to be quiet, for once. Maybe they were asleep.  Perhaps, even without nightmares.

Someone had left the door open. 

Augusta frowned. In their condition, Frank and Alice were unlikely to wander off. But even so...

Empty? Maybe someone had taken them for treatment--but no, the room was completely empty. Not so much as sheets on the beds.

"Mrs. Longbottom--Mrs. Longbottom--"

August turned around to see a young witch in green robes wringing her hands in the doorway. 

"Where is my son?"

"Um, actually--if you'll come with me--if you'd checked in first--"

---

 "The Thickey Ward?" Augusta repeated.

"Madam, with all due respect, it's been six months. Superficial wounds are mostly healed, though long-term nerve damage might still present itself--we know so little about the long-term effects. Mentally," the healer took a deep breath. "Mentally, however--"

"But I was told--"

"Yes, I apologize. That comment related to their fine motor skills, not their mental states. Frank is able to manage a spoon and fork, though only one at a time. In time, he may be able to use a knife--soft foods only, I'm afraid. Alice still has too many hand tremors to feed herself, but she has been very cooperative in getting dressed recently."

Feeding. Getting dressed. Frank had been a brilliant auror, one of the best--and it wasn't just her ego saying so. Moody had told her that Frank might become head of the department one day. Alice was equally skilled at pretending to be harmless, right up to the moment her wand was at your throat.

"cooperative in getting dressed" 

Is that what it's come to?

Even little Neville--

But Augusta shakes off that thought. "I was going to ask about bringing them home. Even for just a visit?"

"I wouldn't recommend it. They're easily frightened by any changes. At least here, we can provide them with consistency and skilled treatment. Any individual would struggle to take care of one of them, let alone both."

"And I won't separate them."  Bellatrix's torture had been extensive, but she'd never seen Frank more terrified than on the day they took Alice for a private exam. He shook in terror until she came back four hours later.

The other woman nodded grimly. "As much as I hate to say this, there's nothing more you can do for Frank or Alice."

Not quite.

There was one thing.

Or rather, one person.

"I should get back. Neville's waiting for me."

 

Chapter 12: Spring is Coming

We planted the seed while the tears of our grief soaked the ground
The sky lost its sun, and the world lost its green to lifeless brown
Now the chilling wind has turned the earth hard as stone
And silently seed rise beneath ice and snow
And my heart's heavy now
But I'm not letting go of this hope I have that tells me...

The Phoenix Conservatory and Memorial Gardens were officially established in May 200-, following the second defeat of the magical supremist Tom Riddle. Located just outside Hogsmeade, the gardens were planned as a memorial to victims of the British Wizarding Wars, but have also become a rallying point for integration supporters...

.... the Fountain of the Fallen in the labyrinth's centre. Each tree in the garden represents a life lost to the Death Eaters. Trees were chosen to match the individual's wand wood--when possible--or by consultation with the victim's family. Periannals and sculptures represent unknown victims, including magical creatures and Muggles....

....Any requests for wandwood should be directed to the senior conservationist. Many unscrupulous crafters have appropriated the name...

 

--excerpts from The Phoenix Conservatory and Memorial Gardens official material

 

Chapter 14: Bonus Track: Cinderella

Notes:

This song was written less than a year before Maria Chapman's death.

Oh, I will dance with Cinderella
I don't want to miss even one song
'Cause all too soon the clock will strike midnight
And she'll be gone...

Notes:

All the other excerpts are taken from the opening of the song, but I went with the chorus here.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 19 of if I ran the zoo