Updated Mar 10, 2026 • ~8 min read
The manor is too quiet without Catherine.
Sera and Damien don’t know what to do with themselves.
For seven years, their lives revolved around their daughter.
Now she’s gone.
Not forever. Just away.
But it feels like forever.
“We should redecorate her room,” Sera suggests one morning.
“Why?”
“So it’s not a shrine. So it’s her room, not a museum.”
“She’s coming back in three months.”
“I know. But we need projects. Things to do that aren’t just… waiting.”
Damien understands.
They need purpose beyond parenthood.
“What did we used to do? Before Catherine?”
“Fight witches. Survive curses. Nearly die regularly.”
“Fun times.”
“The best.”
They laugh.
But it’s hollow.
Letters from Catherine help.
She writes weekly. Enthusiastic and detailed.
Dear Mama and Papa,
The academy is AMAZING. I have so many friends! There’s Lily who can talk to animals, and Marcus (not our Marcus, a different one) who makes fire with his hands, and Elspeth who can see the future but only five minutes ahead so it’s mostly useless but funny.
Classes are hard but good hard. We’re learning magical theory and ethics and control. Professor Thornwhistle says I’m advancing quickly. She wants to move me up a year but I said no because I like my friends.
I miss you both. And Beast Dada during full moons. Tell him I said hello.
Love,
Catherine
Sera reads it aloud while Damien listens.
“She’s happy.”
“She is.”
“We made the right choice.”
“Doesn’t make it easier.”
“No. But right rarely is.”
They try to rebuild their relationship.
Not that it broke. But seven years of parenting shifts things.
They need to remember how to be partners again. Not just co-parents.
“Date night,” Sera declares. “Every week. Just us.”
“In the manor?”
“Sometimes. Sometimes in the village. Normal couple things.”
They start small.
Dinners in the library. Walks through the restored forest.
Conversations about topics other than Catherine.
Estate business. Current events. Books they’re reading.
It’s awkward at first.
Like learning to talk to a stranger.
But slowly, they remember.
The easy rhythm. The comfortable silence.
The love that existed before Catherine and will exist after she’s grown.
One month without Catherine.
The first full moon.
Damien transforms as usual.
But it’s lonelier.
Catherine always kept him company in beast form.
Talking to him. Petting his fur. Not afraid.
Now it’s just him and Sera.
“She’d tell you about her week,” Sera says, sitting with the beast in the garden. “About her friends and classes and the funny things that happened.”
The beast rumbles. Acknowledgment.
“I’ll tell you instead. She wrote yesterday. Apparently Lily’s animal talking accidentally summoned a family of badgers into the dormitory. Complete chaos. Catherine thought it was hilarious.”
The beast makes a sound almost like laughter.
“She misses you too. Especially this version. She says the other students think transformations are scary but she knows better.”
The beast settles beside Sera.
Protective. Gentle.
“We did good,” Sera continues. “Raising her. Teaching her. She’s going to be incredible.”
Agreement rumble.
They sit together until dawn.
When Damien transforms back, he’s emotional.
“I miss her.”
“I know. Me too.”
“Two more months until Christmas.”
“Sixty-three days. But who’s counting?”
“Both of us, apparently.”
They receive a letter from the headmistress.
Lord and Lady Corvus,
I’m writing to inform you that Catherine has been demonstrating exceptional aptitude in all her classes. Her power, control, and ethical foundation are remarkable for someone her age.
We’d like to offer her advanced placement in defensive magic and healing arts—both areas where she shows particular talent. This would mean additional training but would significantly develop her abilities.
Please advise if you approve.
Yours,
Headmistress Ravencroft
They discuss it.
“Advanced placement is an honor.”
“It’s also more pressure. More expectations. She’s seven.”
“She’s capable.”
“Capable isn’t the same as ready.”
They write back asking Catherine’s opinion.
Her response is immediate:
YES PLEASE! I want to learn everything. Especially healing. I want to help people like Mama and Papa helped each other.
Permission granted.
Two months without Catherine.
Sera and Damien have found their rhythm again.
Working together on estate projects. Hosting dinners. Being a couple.
It’s good. Different than before. But good.
One evening, Sera makes an announcement.
“I’m pregnant.”
Damien stares.
“What?”
“Pregnant. Eight weeks. I wasn’t going to say anything until I was sure, but the midwife confirmed it today.”
“We’re having another baby?”
“We are.”
Damien’s face cycles through emotions.
Shock. Joy. Terror. Love.
“Catherine’s going to be a big sister.”
“She is. We’ll tell her at Christmas. Give her time to process before the baby arrives.”
“When?”
“Summer. Late July, the midwife thinks.”
Damien pulls Sera close.
“Another child. Another chance to do this right.”
“We did it right the first time.”
“We made mistakes.”
“All parents do. But we loved her. That’s what mattered.”
“And we’ll love this one too.”
“Exactly.”
Christmas approaches.
Catherine comes home.
Taller. More confident. Glowing with happiness.
“Mama! Papa!”
She runs to them.
Hugs so tight Sera can barely breathe.
“I missed you so much.”
“We missed you too, darling. So much.”
They spend the first week just being together.
Hearing her stories. Meeting her friends via letters. Seeing her magic demonstrations.
She’s grown so much in three months.
Not just in power. In maturity.
“The academy is perfect for me,” she says. “I love learning. I love my friends. I love feeling like I’m becoming who I’m meant to be.”
“We’re proud of you,” Damien says.
“I’m proud of me too. Is that okay to say?”
“More than okay. Essential.”
On Christmas Eve, they tell her about the baby.
“You’re going to be a big sister.”
Catherine’s eyes go wide.
“Really? A baby?”
“Really. Coming next summer.”
“Will the baby have magic?”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, we’ll love them.”
“Can I help? When I’m home?”
“Absolutely. Big sisters are very important.”
Catherine beams.
“I’m going to be the best big sister. I’ll teach them magic if they have it. And protect them if they don’t. And love them always.”
“Perfect job description.”
Catherine’s winter holiday passes too quickly.
She returns to the academy in January.
Promises to write more. To share everything.
“I’ll be home in spring. And then summer when the baby comes. I want to meet them immediately.”
“You will. We promise.”
They send her off again.
Harder this time knowing she’s excited to go back.
But also easier knowing she’s happy there.
The pregnancy progresses.
Easier than the first. Sera knows what to expect.
But also harder because Catherine isn’t there.
“I miss having her underfoot,” Sera admits one evening.
“Me too. But she’s where she needs to be.”
“I know. Still miss her though.”
“We can miss her and be proud simultaneously.”
“Complicated parenting.”
“The only kind.”
Spring arrives.
Catherine comes home for a week.
Immediately wants to talk to the baby.
“Can they hear me?”
“Maybe. Try it.”
Catherine puts her hand on Sera’s belly.
“Hello, baby. I’m Catherine. Your big sister. I’m going to teach you so many things. Magic if you want. Stories always. How to be brave and kind and powerful.”
The baby kicks.
Catherine gasps.
“They heard me!”
“They did.”
“I love them already.”
“That’s how it works.”
Summer.
Catherine home for the break.
Just in time.
Sera goes into labor on a warm July morning.
Catherine is fascinated and terrified.
“Is Mama okay?”
“She’s fine. This is normal,” Damien assures her.
“She’s screaming.”
“Childbirth is painful. But she’s strong. She’s done this before.”
“With me?”
“With you.”
Catherine considers.
“I should thank her for that.”
“You should.”
Eight hours later.
A son.
Healthy. Loud. Perfect.
Catherine meets her brother for the first time.
Stares in awe.
“He’s so small.”
“You were smaller.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“What’s his name?”
“We thought you should help choose,” Sera says.
“Really?”
“You’re his big sister. You should have input.”
Catherine thinks.
“Edmund. Like Uncle Edmund. He was kind to us.”
Damien and Sera exchange looks.
“Edmund Corvus. Perfect.”
Catherine touches her brother’s tiny hand gently.
“Hello, Edmund. I’m Catherine. I’m your sister. I’ll protect you and love you and teach you everything I know.”
The baby grasps her finger.
Strong grip for someone so small.
“He likes me!”
“Of course he does. You’re wonderful.”
The summer passes in a blur.
Catherine helping with Edmund. Teaching him (unsuccessfully, he’s too young) magic.
Singing to him. Reading stories.
Being the perfect big sister.
When autumn comes and it’s time to return to academy, she’s torn.
“I want to stay. Help with Edmund.”
“He’ll be here when you visit. And we’ll write you updates constantly.”
“Promise he won’t forget me?”
“Impossible. You’re unforgettable.”
She leaves again.
Their daughter. Growing up. Building her life.
Leaving them with a new baby and an empty nest.
Again.
Full circle.
That night, Sera and Damien sit with Edmund.
Their son. Their second chance.
“We’re doing this again,” Damien marvels.
“We are. Older. Wiser. More exhausted.”
“But happy?”
“So happy.”
Edmund coos.
And somewhere in Scotland, Catherine writes in her journal about her baby brother.
Two children. Two lives they created.
One at home. One away.
Both loved beyond measure.
Family.
Complicated. Beautiful. Worth everything.
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