A/N: The image is a Vinak pup
The Silverthorne Manor felt the wards shift before the gates ever opened.
Magic rippled outward from the front drive—strained, wounded, and carrying the unmistakable residue of dark experimentation. The ancient stones of the manor responded with a low, resonant hum, protective enchantments tightening like a living thing bracing for pain brought home.
Mavis felt it from the potions wing.
She paused mid-motion, pestle hovering over crushed moonseed. Her green eyes lifted, unfocused, sensing the discord humming through the air. Sakari, the pastel Nymfox perched on her shoulder, lifted her head sharply, ears flicking as her fur shimmered from lavender to pale gold.
"Something's wrong," Mavis whispered.
Around her, the manor's other residents reacted at once.
Aurelion, the White Phoenix, rustled his wings where he perched near the high rafters, feathers glowing softly in warning. Anemone, the Venomshade Serpent coiled beside a warm stone basin, lifted her head, tongue tasting the air with a hiss that vibrated uneasily. Finn the horned jackalope stamped once, ears flattening. Twig the Bowtruckle froze mid-climb on a hanging beam, leaves trembling.
Even the teacup dragons—Meridian, Eventide, Nightfall, and Daybreak—stilled their playful circling, clustering together in midair with soft chiming sounds.
Sirius Black straightened from where he had been leaning against the long oak table, arms crossed, dark hair loose around his shoulders. "That's not normal travel residue," he muttered.
Severus Snape, overseeing a simmering cauldron with practiced severity, inhaled sharply. His lip curled. "No. That is blood, dark enchantment, and poorly executed hybrid magic."
The doors opened.
Alaric Silverthorne entered first, rain clinging to his silver-white hair, blue eyes sharp and exhausted. Elarisse followed close behind, black hair braided over one shoulder, green eyes burning with restrained fury and sorrow.
Between them, wrapped in layers of cushioning magic and warmth charms, lay a small, trembling creature.
A Vinak pup.
The room seemed to draw inward.
The pup was no larger than a fox cub, but its body told a story of cruelty. Fur the color of burnished bronze and shadow lay matted with blood. Veins of faint bioluminescent teal light pulsed erratically beneath her skin—evidence of forced magical grafting. Her claws were too sharp, her joints slightly wrong, her eyes a deep red-brown filled with instinctive terror.
Aurelion let out a low, mournful trill.
Anemone hissed softly, not in threat but in anger, her scales darkening.
Snape's eyes hardened. "A Vinak," he said. "I thought the ICW shut down the breeding programs."
"They did," Alaric replied evenly. "This one was illegal. Deep underground. We shut it down completely."
Elarisse knelt, lowering the pup into a conjured nest of silken wards and moss-soft cushions. Her hands glowed with gentle healing magic as she assessed injuries. "She's female. Weeks old at most. Pain-conditioning sigils. Aggression triggers embedded in the nervous system."
The pup whimpered, curling inward, claws scraping weakly against the enchanted fabric.
Mavis moved before anyone could stop her.
Snape's voice snapped like a cracked vial. "Do not touch it."
She didn't.
She knelt a short distance away, slow and deliberate, Sakari slipping from her shoulder to sit beside her, tail flicking softly. The Nymfox's pastel fur shimmered in calming hues, magic spreading outward like a lullaby.
"She's scared," Mavis said quietly.
The Vinak pup's glowing veins flickered—not flaring, not darkening—listening.
Snape turned sharply to Alaric. "Why wasn't it euthanized?"
The word felt heavy in the air.
Elarisse's hands stilled for a fraction of a second.
Alaric met Snape's gaze without flinching. "Because then we would be no different from the ones who made her."
Snape's jaw tightened. "Mercy is not always kindness."
"No," Alaric said. "But killing a child because it was abused is not justice."
The familiars reacted as one.
Aurelion stepped down from the rafters, landing softly near the pup, radiant warmth spreading without burning. Finn hopped closer, ears twitching, curiosity tempered with caution. Twig crept down and perched near the edge of the nest, leaf-fingers trembling but brave.
The Vinak pup whimpered again, then stilled—drawn to the layered presence of creatures who radiated safety rather than dominance.
Mavis shifted closer, still not touching. "I know what it's like," she whispered. "To be turned into something by people who don't care if it hurts."
Sakari's tail brushed the air, releasing a faint soothing magic.
The pup's breathing slowed.
The bioluminescent veins steadied.
"I'll take care of her," Mavis said, lifting her gaze to her parents. "Please."
Alaric's breath caught audibly.
Elarisse's eyes filled, though her voice stayed steady. "It will be difficult."
"I know."
"She may never be... stable."
Mavis nodded. "Then she'll never be alone."
Draco swallowed hard. "She's choosing her," he whispered.
The Vinak pup lifted her head a fraction, eyes meeting Mavis's.
Sakari lowered herself beside the nest, curling her tail protectively but keeping distance. Finn sat, ears relaxed. Twig reached out with a tiny wooden hand, brushing moss into a neater cushion.
The pup crept forward—one trembling inch at a time—until her forehead touched Mavis's knee.
The bioluminescent veins steadied.
A hush fell over the room.
Snape exhaled slowly. "If this is done, it will be done correctly," he said. "Stabilization draughts. Pain management. Behavioral wards—gentle ones."
"I'll help," Isolde said softly.
"I'll build her a den," Caelum added.
Nyx swallowed. "I can stay with her at night."
Korrin crossed his arms. "Anyone tries to take her, they won't get past me."
Mavis smiled faintly, then looked down at the pup.
"You need a name," she said softly.
The Vinak pup's ears flicked.
"A name that means you're not a mistake."
Mavis closed her eyes for a moment, listening—not just with magic, but with that quiet inner sense that had always guided her.
"Kala," she said.
The word settled like a promise.
The pup shuddered—then relaxed.
Her glow evened out, softening into a gentle rhythm. She let out a tiny sound, something between a breath and a sigh, and curled closer.
Elarisse pressed a hand to her mouth.
Alaric closed his eyes.
Snape looked away—but not before Sirius saw the tension ease from his shoulders.
That night, rain pattered softly against the windows as Kala slept curled against Mavis's side, surrounded by familiars who watched in quiet vigil—life, death, forest, fang, and wing woven together not by command, but by choice.
And deep within the manor's ancient magic, something new took root.
Not born of darkness.9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXncGfAQlIc
Not forged by force.
But named—9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoPEbo6gCoq
and therefore claimed—by mercy.
and then Add to home screen.