the_debt_of_time

Mia spent her first day as a Potter getting a tour of the ancestral manor and a history
lesson on her adoptive family. Dorea was a skilled witch who exuded intellect and grace
but somehow still clung to that piece of mischief that lingered in her gaze. Charlus, not
knowing how much Mia was privy to about the Wizarding world, attempted to educate
her. She did little to stop him as it was an opportune time to bond with the man whom
their world would see as her father.
"How are people not going to ask questions about me?" she asked him as they
strolled through the family orchards—which reminded her a great deal of the ones in the
Weasleys' back garden.
"Well, we're the last of the Potters," Charlus explained. "When Dorea and I married,
a good many of the other pureblood families weren't too pleased with it. Her mother had
wanted to marry her into one of two other families, but her father loved her and let her
choose her own husband." He let a smug expression cross his features. "I like to think she
chose well."
Mia smiled. "I do, too."
"Well, when we married, most of Dorea's family cut ties with her, and my parents
died the year after. I worked from home for a long while, and it took years and years before
we had James. By the time we had the 'Potter heir,'" he said with a roll of his eyes, "society
didn't care much about what we were doing. People we went to Hogwarts with had all their
children right out of school, so it was hard to fit in with the crowd after James was born.
We didn't even publicly announce his birth. Didn't want Dorea's family causing trouble,
you see. People know the Potter name, but we've purposely kept to ourselves. Dorea does
her charity work, and I've consulted here and there over the years, but people who know
that we have a son would be embarrassed to think they'd forgotten we also had a daughter,
so they'll never question it."
"Is James going to be upset when he finally figures out that no one out in the world
knows who he is?" Mia asked with a wry smile.
Charlus shook his head with a chuckle. "Your brother creates his own world, and
in it, he's the highest ranking authority."