Chapter Text
Evan Antoine Buckley De’Lacoure had learned from a young age that he wasn't welcome in the lives of his father, Philipp Buckley, or his stepmother, Margarett Buckley, and frankly, he didn't care.
Evan, or Buck as he was known today, had lived with his father's family until he turned five, when his half-sister, Maddie, was sent to a prestigious finishing school. Although at first they treated him like an object and not a child, things became increasingly complicated each time Margarett had a strange fit and took it out on him. Evan didn't know exactly what happened, but one day, his grandparents arrived and made several things very clear. First, his father was disowned (he didn't know what that meant, but it seemed to frighten his dad). Second, Margarett would never be part of their family (Evan wasn't stupid; he knew he wasn't her son—something inside him told him so). And third, he would be sent to live with his mother, Rosalie De’Lacoure.
When he came into his mother's care, having just turned five, Evan understood why he felt different from everyone else: it was because magic existed.
He grew up in the magical world, went to school and got top marks, walked his mother down the aisle, and welcomed the man who would become his father, Louis Roosevelt, who would take his mother's surname, becoming Louis De'Lacoure. As the years passed, Evan welcomed his sisters, Fleur and Gabrielle, who were very much like him—blonde and blue-eyed—but he was the only one with the birthmark on his face, a birthmark he knew from his mother was the Buckley family mark, a trait inherited by all, or at least by those destined to continue the magical lineage.
At nineteen, Evan was already in training as an Auror, and it was the first time he saw Maddie Buckley, his half-sister, again.
To say the encounter was special would be a lie. Maddie was somewhat like Margarett; she liked having the attention focused on her. It seemed that being raised as an only child after leaving had affected her. At first, he didn't recognize her. He had come to Boston General Hospital looking for a friend who had a non-magical sister. It was his first time returning from a mission, and he was badly injured, so when he ran into Maddie, he hadn't expected her to imply that he'd gotten into trouble and done something stupid.
Buck (Evan at the time) wondered what lies the Buckleys had told him, and using his Legilimency, he gently invaded his mind.
Everything was chaotic, yes. He also saw what his husband was doing to her, and it made him wonder if she had chosen this fate herself, or if it had been imposed upon her (because if it had been imposed, he could take her under his care and protection, but if it was her own will, then there was nothing she could do). He continued sailing, while she scolded him, and found him. The first memory of Maddie returning from boarding school, three years after she had left, asking for him, being deceived by Philipp and Margaret, who assured her that he was fine, but that he was a troubled child, that he had done very bad things. Had she really believed them? What a foolish woman! At some point amidst the loose words and scolding that certainly wasn't hers to give, Colin appeared, asking her to come with him. This cut short Maddie's tirade and gave her a moment to retreat. Colin's sister had been fine, a minor scare, but one that had nearly caused her brother to run from the mission they were on. Evan never saw Maddie again after that.
In the following years, Evan had forged a career as an elite Auror, personally chosen by Dante Alonzo, who worked for both sides, serving as an Auror in the wizarding world and as the chief of the Los Angeles Fire Department.
He had traveled to many places, providing support to those who needed help in their cities. He had traveled to London, Scotland, France (where he took the opportunity to visit his mother's family and get scolded by his grandfather, De'Lacoure), Romania (where he got a dragon—how? No idea, but he liked it), Colombia, Denmark, and his last stop was Peru, where things took a turn for the worse. They had gone there to provide support, wanting to help the local Aurors, but things went wrong. Although Evan had undergone the non-magical training of the Naval SEALs, a training that served him well, and the Auror training, things didn't go well. The dark magic those individuals had used had caused an explosion in one of the magical villages; several Aurors from his squad had died, as well as civilians who had been taken hostage. The last thing Evan remembered, before fainting, was seeing his partner Tiffany summon demonic fire.
He woke up in the magical hospital of St. Nicholas, with Chief Alonzo at his side, and judging by his expression, nothing good was going to come of it.
Knowing that his group was incapacitated or dead was the worst news Evan could have received. Also, knowing that Tiffany had died to give them a chance at life made Evan wish he could go back in time, to prevent his best friend's death. By Mother Magic, she had a fiancé waiting for her!
“De’Lacoure,” Chief Alonzo called, looking at him intently. “I need you to listen to me. I have an offer for you, more for when you get out of here.”
He listened to him speak. He proposed the idea: working for the Los Angeles Fire Department. It seemed appealing, but also foolish. What would an elite Auror do there? Dante told him it was a good opportunity to stay away for a while, to have some peace, and when his family came to visit, they gave him their opinion.
His mother had supported the idea. She knew he needed to connect with the other side, and she would continue to help (If Evan cried in his mother’s arms, no one criticized him). His father, on the other hand, told him it was his decision, but that he would support him, that if he wanted to work even as a bartender, he should do it, as long as he was at peace (If Evan clung to his father, no one said anything). His sisters, who were on school break (except for Gabrielle, who still had three years to go), told him he'd better have a place where they could come, so after several words, hugs, and well wishes, Evan met with Chief Alonzo to give him his answer.
"I accept," was all he said.
And Chief Alonzo smiled.