Born December 26th, 1917 to Arcturus Black and Lysandra Yaxley.
Wife of Septimus Weasley Sr. and mother of Rheia, Septimus Jr, Bilius, and Arthur Weasley.
Cedrella is bold, determined, highly individual, non-comformist, stubborn, and has a bit of a temper. She's a very talented witch, particularly at charms and all kind of hexes, jinxes, and curses.
Because when she married Septimus they were ostracized by pure blood society, they found it difficult to find employment. Septimus had to become a barber and Cedrella became a clerk at Flourish and Blotts (just down the street from her husband's barber shop, which was very convenient when they had to take their young children to work with them). Although it didn't pay much, they were able to have a happy life together with their children. It also helped quite a bit that Cedrella was allowed to read any book she wished while at work.
Her wand is Yew, dragon heartstring, 13 & 1/2 inches, unbending.
As she approached the last shop on her checklist, Cedrella found herself coming to a stop before she could reach the door. It was tucked away in a corner, just before the entrance to Knockturn Alley, and had deep purple walls lined with advertisements and paintings of the plants it held. The front window that held the shop’s logo had been shattered, and in front of it stood the shopkeeper, talking animatedly, and a man on a ladder.
“Mister Willows, is everything alright?” Cedrella called. Both men turned toward her. Mister Willows’ face lit up, and the other man suddenly stumbled, his ladder falling out from under his feet and landing on the pavement. “Oh!”
“Ah, Miss Black, come in, come in,” Mister Willows greeted, ignoring the man in favor of opening the door for Cedrella. “Apologies for the mess. I’ve not had time to clean up. You're welcome to look around and purchase anything you’d like.” Mister Willows winked. “We’re closed, but I can make an exception for you.”
Cedrella tore her gaze away from the man dangling off the gutter and looked toward Mister Willows — a stout older man who always appeared to have just been gardening, dirt and all. He was polite, albeit scatter-brained and difficult to hold long conversations with, but Cedrella never stayed long. He also owned the best apothecary Diagon Alley had to offer, which was why Cedrella ventured to the northern end of the district.
As she stepped inside, over the scattered runestones and the man’s wand, she opened her mouth to speak, only to pause at the state of the shop. The placement of products had always been haphazard, with glass jars perched precariously on shelves and some bundles of dried herbs hanging far too low while others hung too high. Now, jars had been knocked from their shelves entirely, and bundles had been shredded, as if a dog had gotten its jaws on them. The counter to the far right had been ransacked, coins and bags scattered across the floor.
“Mister Willows, what… what happened here?” Cedrella asked.
Mister Willows shook his head solemnly. “Had a break-in last night. Can you believe it! All these shops with priceless magical items, and they steal from the man with plants — enhanced and well taken care of plants, but plants nonetheless. S’why I called Septimus—” the man in question shot her a grin, though a strained one, given his current predicament— “here to reinforce the place. Wizz with spells and runes, he is. I’m sure you are too, with your family and all.”
“I see.” Cedrella watched as Septimus continued to flail his legs in an attempt to find something to regain his footing. After a moment, she addressed the man for the first time, “Do you need help?”
“I've got it, lovely, no need to worry,” Septimus said. The tip of his shoe found a box, and after a few failed attempts, he was able to rest his weight there and hop down from the gutter without injuring himself. He brushed himself off (doing little to get rid of the dust and grime off, Cedrella noted), and smiled. “See? Got it all figured out.”
“That you do,” Cedrella replied. With his feet now on the ground, Cedrella was able to get a good look at him. His thin frame was dressed in Muggle clothes (not surprising since they were so close to Muggle London), thin trousers held up by a belt and a buttoned shirt with the top buttons undone and sleeves rolled up to his elbows. Cedrella prided herself in her height, leaving her nearly eye-level with most men, but even she had to crane her neck to look at Septimus’ face. Admittedly, she didn't take in much of his features before catching sight of the bright red hair atop his head. Her eyes flicked to his cheeks, flushed and covered in freckles.
Ah.
A Weasley.
Not uncommon, considering how they breed like rabbits, as her father so eloquently put it. One she recognized, however, was more startling. He became a prefect during her last year at Hogwarts, and she only knew that because his brother was the Head Boy that year. She and Vincent were not friends, though they had talked on long nights of rounds, and he’d thrown Septimus’ name out a few times. Usually to complain, and Cedrella couldn't keep the grimace from her face.
Septimus' smile became caustic, his warm air gone, and he squared his shoulders. Oh, joy. Cedrella was about to get into an argument with a blood-traitor, of all people. Well, at least her mother would be proud of her sharp tongue for once.
Mister Willows, oblivious to the sudden tension, continued to blather. “Now, everything's not in stock, as you can see, but those brutes weren’t capable of getting into my backroom, so if you can't find something, I can try to get it there. I had Septimus there make the wards, which is why I called him back. And he did those fresh out of Hogwarts, if you can believe it! He’s only gotten better, made a name for himself and everything now. Writing a book, too! It goes over my head — it’s much better suited for plants — but one of my mates said it’ll be revolutionary. Good for all kinds of new spells and wards.”
“Oh, plants and runes aren't that different, Tanner,” Septimus said, taking a step into the shop. “If you have them a chance, I’m sure you’d be making your own wards in no time.”
Mister Willows waved a hand at him dismissively. “Don't flatter me, my boy. Now, what was it you needed, lass?”
He continued deeper into the shop, and Septimus followed, not concerned about the glass splintered beams. Cedrella lingered in the doorway. Both men wore heavy boots to keep their feet safe while at work. Cedrella had only a pair of flats to protect her, and while they did the job on a public street, this crime scene was another matter.
As if sensing her distress, Septimus turned to look at her. He offered his hand, revealing the jagged and overlapped scars covering them. A part of Cedrella wanted to turn her nose at him. She had been raised with manners, however, and it would do no good to get into a petty squabble with the man. Vincent had been nice to her, and Septimus had done nothing against her yet, either. She could be polite.
She took his hand and managed to step over the glass onto the wooden floor. The herbs would not be a problem, though she took care not to crush anything Mister Willows might be able to salvage, if only for his personal use. “Thank you, Mister Weasley.”
“My pleasure, lovely,” Septimus replied. He motioned for Cedrella to take the lead, and they both followed Mister Willows to the counter.
“I only need some dittany, asphodel, and butterfly weed,” Cedrella said.
Mister Willows nodded and went into the backroom to gather what she asked for.
Septimus, who went behind the counter, looked at her curiously. “Something happen at home?” he asked.
Cedrella shook her head. “My sister’s son is… a handful.”
To her shock, Septimus laughed. Not a scoff like Callidora or Mother would give, but a full belly laugh. He stopped after a moment and leaned his elbows on the countertop. “Tell me about it. My nephew jumped out the window the other week because his mother threw a chicken out of it and he thought it was safe.” Cedrella’s expression must have portrayed her horror as Septimus laughed again and added, “He’s fine. Sprained his wrist, but Nora fixed it up. Didn't stop him from trying it again the next day. You have to hand it to him, his landing technique’s improved a lot.”
“Have they not warded the windows? With a relative such as yourself, it wouldn't be a bother.” All of the House of Black’s homes were heavily guarded, and that included wards from all the windows to ensure a soft landing if something were to happen. With children running around, it seemed like common sense.
But apparently not.
Septimus shrugged. “He's not harming anyone. Well, scared the chickens, but they've gotten over it.”
If Mister Willows had not walked out then, Cedrella wasn't sure how she could reply to that. She knew the Weasleys were an uncouth bunch, but letting children run amok should have been discouraged in any household. Cedrella couldn't even count all the times her mother scolded her or her sisters for running in the house, let alone jumping out of windows.
“Here we are, Miss Black,” Mister Willows said, placing her items on the counter.
Cedrella paid, thanked the shopkeeper, and placed the plants in her basket.
Septimus groaned rather dramatically and pushed himself off the counter. “Back to work, I presume,” he said.
“I’m not paying you to sit around and do nothing, my boy,” Mister Willows said with a pat to Septimus’ shoulder. “Back out you go.”
Cedrella and Septimus walked out of the shop together, the man helping her over the glass once again. Septimus picked up his wand, flicked it to gather his runestones, and headed toward his ladder to set it back up against the wall.
She had no reason to loiter. This had been her only conversation with Septimus, and Charis was expecting her to be back in a timely manner. Her feet were stuck to the ground, however, as she watched the man.
“You should really get a better ladder,” Cedrella found herself commenting. “Or stabilize it with a charm.”
“I could, but then I wouldn't have an excuse to talk to beautiful women, would I, Miss Black?” Septimus said.
At a loss for words, Cedrella harrumphed and turned sharply on her heel. She shouldn't have expected any better from a Weasley, of all people.
She blatantly ignored the fluttering in her stomach as she made her way to the Apparition point.
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i'm writing a little cedrella/septimus fic, but between percy week and school starting back up soon, i don't have the time atm. so have this little opening scene as an apology for being inactive lately.
“The wife of Septimus Weasley, mother to Arthur Weasley and daughter to Lysandra Black and Arcturus Black. The middle sister of Callidora Black and Charis Black”
Raise your hands, if anyone wants to see Cedrella Black Weasley interacting with her grandchildren (Ron will be her favourite 😜), also with Harry and Hermione, also with Sirius, also with EVERYONE!!!
