The war began not with a spell, but with fire.
Two days after Roman Trévér's body was laid to rest, Paris awoke to chaos. By dawn, thick, choking smoke was rising from the Allée des Merveilles, painting the skyline black. Flames had swallowed the renowned Maison Blanche, the luxury hotel owned by the White family—staunch allies of the Voclains. Ash fell like snow onto cobblestone streets as witches and wizards scrambled to contain the inferno. But the spellwork was too strong and deliberate, laced with magic meant to resist countercharms. By the time the flames were quelled, only the skeletal remains of the grand hotel stood, a ruined monument to the war none had officially declared.
The Trévér family had begun their purge.
In those first hours, the wizarding world watched in silence, unsure whether the violence was a one-time act of grief or something worse. That question was answered by nightfall.
Across Lyon, Strasbourg, and the outer districts of Paris, Voclain-owned businesses were attacked one by one. Potion shops with generations of history were reduced to rubble. Greenhouses storing rare magical herbs were burned to cinders. Storied tailors, wandmakers, and apothecaries—names once respected across France—vanished under the brutality of fire and spell.
Witnesses reported masked attackers—men and women clad in black, bearing the silver tree of the Trévér crest. They struck with precision, never lingering, always moving. They didn't steal anything and certainly didn't threaten. They simply destroyed.
In Rue des Arcanes, a Voclain servant named Mathilde Prieur was found dead behind the shattered counter of La Plume Noire, a high-end parchment shop. Her body bore the unmistakable mark of the Saignée Charm, a cruel curse that drained its victim's blood slowly and silently. No gold was taken. No message was left. Only the bloodied floorboards whispered the warning.
By the second day, the attacks grew bolder. In Nice, the manor house of the Voclain-aligned Durand family was ransacked and torched. Three house-elves and one junior apprentice were found dead, their bodies marked by burns and binding hexes. A magical artifact collection dating back to the early Enlightenment was stolen or destroyed. Local Aurors arrived hours late, and no arrests were made.
Rumors began to swirl: that Charles Trévér himself had overseen some of the attacks. That Julian Trévér, still technically a schoolboy, had cast the killing spell at a Voclain warehouse raid in Marseille. That the Trévérs were being aided by foreign mercenaries from the East.
No one knew for certain. But what was clear—even to the Ministry—was that this was no longer a family feud.
It was war.
⸻
Le Sorcier Quotidien, France's most reputable wizarding newspaper, published its front page the morning after the second day of violence. The headline was stark and unembellished:
TENSIONS ESCALATE: VOCLAIN–TRÉVÉR FEUD TURNS DEADLY
The article beneath it began:
"What began as private grief has spiraled into a public crisis. Over the last forty-eight hours, at least fourteen confirmed attacks have occurred across France, targeting businesses, properties, and individuals connected to the ancient Voclain family. Auror authorities are now investigating the systematic nature of these events, which appear to have been coordinated and executed by individuals associated with the Trévér family, one of France's oldest and most secretive bloodlines.
"Among the confirmed casualties are:
– Mathilde Prieur (42), Voclain servant, murdered in Paris.
– Étienne Lavoisier (26), potion apprentice, killed during an arson attack in Lyon.
– Jules Beauchamp (87), retired wandmaker, died in his sleep as his home burned.
"Additionally, four homes have been destroyed, including the Durand estate in Nice and the Voclain greenhouse complex in Limoges. Eleven shops have been confirmed destroyed, among them La Plume Noire, Étoile d'Argent, and Maison Blanche. All were either owned or operated by members of the Voclain family or its historical affiliates.
"Sources within the Ministry of Magic suggest that the Minister herself, Isabella Voclain, has remained silent but is under increasing pressure to respond. Her brother, Maximilian Voclain, has reportedly been seen meeting with allies at the Grand Concorde."
The article concluded with a quote from an unnamed senior Auror:
"This is no longer a personal vendetta. This is the beginning of a blood war. And France hasn't seen one in decades after Grindelwald's attack on Paris."
⸻
The magical world reacted with a collective gasp. The neutrality of many old houses began to waver. Whispers floated in alleyways, cafés, and ancestral salons: Which side will the Helaroix family choose? Will the Étoiles stand with the Voclains or the Trévérs? And where is Eira White in all of this?
Even the Ministry, once confident in its silence, felt the pressure mount.
Behind closed doors, high-ranking officials argued. Some demanded that the Trévér family be publicly censured. Others insisted that any action would fracture the political balance between Pureblood lines. Isabella Voclain, the Minister herself, said little. But those close to her reported a change—her normally diplomatic tone replaced by a cold, dangerous calm.
It was said that Maximilian Voclain had begun assembling an inner circle of his own. That dueling spells were being practiced in the dead of night. That oaths were being sworn again in ancestral tongues.
⸻
Back in the Trévér manor, Alina stood alone in her private scriptorium. The veils had been removed. Her face, sharp and severe, was lit only by the floating quill that scribbled across a map of France. Dozens of red ink circles marked the destroyed properties of the Voclains.
Julian entered the room quietly.
"Is it done?" she asked without looking.
He nodded. "The Montresor vaults are ash. Their wandstocks burned."
She gave a single nod of approval. "Good."
He hesitated. "There was a child in one of the greenhouses. A girl. She—"
"Did you kill her?"
"No. One of the others did."
"Then don't waste breath on ghosts."
Julian said nothing more.
Alina turned toward him at last. Her eyes, pale and unblinking, fixed on him like a predator assessing its young.
"You're not like your brother. That's why you'll survive this. That's why you'll inherit this family."
Julian bowed his head, though his eyes flickered with something else—something unsaid but certainly something of happiness.
⸻
Elsewhere in Paris, posters appeared overnight in any magical communities . Not from the Ministry or from any formal paper. Just plain parchment pinned to alley walls and wand posts.
⚠️ WARNING TO ALL CITIZENS
Those harboring Voclain blood or allegiance are advised to stay within the bounds of Ministry-guarded zones.
The Trévér family has declared blood war.
The Ministry does not officially condone these actions.
But we may no longer be able to stop them.
No one knew who printed the notices. But everyone understood them.