Hello again! I've been holding on to this story for over a year now and, I'm ashamed to say, had been forgotten about. Hopefully you're all ready for the return of the Potters! If you're new to the story, I recommend first reading 'The Truth Behind the Story' and 'A Very Potter Christmas'. 'Truth' is the first story of this series and introduces you to all the characters. This story is a continuation of 'Christmas' and you need to read it to be brought up to speed.
As with all my stories, I hope you enjoy it! And love or hate it, please comment! If you spot any mistakes definitely point them out!
"I said NO!"
"And I said you're not the boss of me!"
Avery slowly backed out of the doorway she had just poked her head through. "And I said 'See you later.'!"
In an instant the blazing eyes of Page and Chris snapped towards Avery who was still trying to escape the study in her sister's house. She had been invited to come over today to make some notes for her 'Paige Tuner' series (her editor had finally relented on the series title). She hadn't been expecting to arrive to a zone that was very similar to that of recent wars. Pillows had be strewn across the floor, and Page's china collection were littered throughout; if her sister hadn't cast a 'break-me-not' charm on them back when she first bought the delicate cups and saucers, Avery had no doubt that they would currently be in pieces next to walls.
"Stop!" Page ordered her sister in an authoritative voice and a sharply pointing finger. "We need an impartial third party to settle this." She informed her husband as she waddled up to her sister. At 8 months pregnant, Avery's tiny sister looked as if she was smuggling a basketball underneath her shirt.
"Impartial third party my foot!" Chris snapped back as he too advanced towards Avery who was now cringing behind her notebook. "You know perfectly well your sister is going to side with you."
"You don't know that!" Page argued. Placing her hands on her hips, she brought herself to her full 4 foot, 8 inches (her inability to wear heels in her heavily pregnant state made her even more testy when it came to confronting others. To be fair however, it had improved her interrogation skills…), and stared down her cowering older sister. "Alright...here's the argument. The D.O.M. needs an agent who can pull of a believable pregnancy for infiltrating a center, of which I cannot get into any more details about. Naturally I volunteered. Who better to pull off a pregnant lady than an actual pregnant lady? It's a very important mission!"
"And I objected," Chris cut in before Page could run away with the story. "because it is just as easy to have a fit agent cast a glamour and pretend to be pregnant. They could easily send anyone and if the mission goes south, they can disable the glamour and go about their way. Page doesn't have that option. There is no sense in risking the welfare of the mother and child for some silly mission...especially now when Page is getting so close to popping."
"I'm hardly ready to 'pop'." Page stated aggressively with a roll of her eyes. She crossed her arms over her perfectly round protruding stomach. "I still have a month to go."
"So did Mum when she had you." Avery cautioned. "You do have to be careful. You don't want to be taking any unnecessary risks this far along."
Page's eyes immediately started to mist up from behind the red square frames she had chosen to wear today. "So you're taking his side?" She blubbered, feeling more than a little betrayed. Pregnancy hormones had not been kind to the sharp wit of Page Potter-Blake. "Fine! Be that way!" She shouted as she spun on her heel and stormed out of the study, leaving a mildly flabbergasted Avery and an exhausted Christopherson behind.
"Whaaaa...what just happened here?" Avery asked with a small shake of her head. She looked to Page's husband for some sort of answer. With a sigh and a long exhaled breath, Chris sat down in one of the French style chairs and tilted his head back so that it was resting against the back. It looked as if he hadn't shut his eyes in a very long time.
"She's just starting to get antsy." Chris explained as he started to rub away the tension building on his temples. "She's been grounded on desk duty for the last few months, and let's just say that Page didn't get into this line of work because she liked paperwork."
Avery let out a snort as she took a seat in the chair across from Christopherson. "You don't have to tell me. I sometimes have to wonder if Page even knows how to write. She always had one of her little minions writing out her dictations and orders back in Hogwarts." Bringing her knees to her chest, Avery followed Chris' lead and rested her head against the plush seat. "So, what are you going to do about it?" She asked, not opening her eyes.
She heard Christ sigh again. "I just don't know..." He confessed. "You know how she is when she decides to do something, there's no deterring her. It's one of the things I love about her. But this 'me-me-me' attitude is going to have to change. Soon she won't be able to act recklessly simply for the thrill of it."
"Give her some time." Avery urged gently. "Page has always been so wrapped up in her own little world. She's probably just not used to the idea yet that soon it's not going to be all about her."
"That's what I'm afraid of." Avery heard Chris move, so she opened her eyes as well. Chris was now sitting, staring down at his clenched hands. "What if she can't accept it? What if someday there's a mission that requires a parent and a child and Page volunteers our son or daughter up without any permission?"
Avery bit back a grin. "Seeing how you and Page are the parents, I highly doubt that the life of a mysteries official would be a problem with your child."
"But children aren't always like their parents!" Chris argued, lifting his gaze to Avery's. Apparently this was a topic he had been worrying about for a while now. "I mean, you're a writer like your father, and Will is in research just like your mother...but then you got someone like Page thrown into the mix. What if our son or daughter only desire is to be a dentist when they grow up?"
Avery could barely hold back her merriment. Partially due to the absurdity of the future occupation Chris had chosen for his and her sister's unborn child, and partially to the utter look of dread that graced his face. "What?" She asked, biting down hard on her lip to hold in the laughter bubbling to the surface.
Chris dropped his gaze back down to his hands. "Your grandparents are dentists...I've heard that it skips a generation."
That was all it took. Avery could no longer contain herself. She slid to the floor in her mirth of glee and giggles.
"It's not funny!" Chris shouted, completely crestfallen. It was the most delicate Avery had ever seen the slightly younger, albeit much taller, man. "Don't you every worry about that when you're considering having a child?"
Avery stopped. The sudden hilarity of the issue evaporated into thin air. She slowly got back into the chair. She dropped her eyes away from her sister's husband. Somehow, without even her own consent, she found her lips spouting out one of her darkest secrets. "Chris..." Her voice was soft. "I can never have children."
A heavy silence fell between the two. Chris stared at her wide-eyed. He tried a few times to formulate the appropriate sentence in his head, however: "But...why?" Was that only thing that wanted to come out. A few more minutes of silence and he managed to add on to the abrupt question. "Back at Christmas you never said anything."
Avery shook her head slowly and bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. "We just found out for certain recently. At first we didn't think there was anything wrong…but after the second miscarriage…" Avery lost her voice as she choked back a sob. Biting her lower lip to compose herself, she continued. "The medical wizards couldn't say one way or another why. There was a lot of whispering going on that it was because I married a muggle, but I know that's not true. I even went to a muggle hospital for physical tests as well. They were very sympathetic, but apparently these things do happen. They told me why in a lot of big and technical words that I neither understood the meaning nor reasons to. The only thing I got out of the whole conversation was that it will never happen for me."
A single tear rolled down Avery's cheek. It was soon followed by a second, and then a third. The next thing she knew, Avery was weeping. She hid her face in her hands. She hadn't been able to tell anyone about the results. It still hurt too much. There was no way she could tell her father yet, and her mother would be upset about it enough for two people; at this point only Avery wanted to be upset. So instead, she had been bottling it all up. Most people didn't even know that she and Devon had been trying for the last year.
Chrispherson got out of his chair and wrapped his arms around Avery in a comforting motion. It's not that Avery didn't consider Chris a friend...it was always more that he was the one for her sister. Talking to him sometimes felt awkward. They were friendly, but never really close. At that moment, Avery was happy that it was him that she had decided to confide in. A few more tears joined the one already on her lap.
"Guess you and Page will just have to have bundles of children so I will always have someone to dote on." Avery teased the best she could with the tears streamed down her face. Chris rubbed her back gently.
"What did Devon say about it?" Chris asked, slowly releasing Avery from his tight embrace.
Wiping away the wet lines down her face, Avery did her best to pull herself together. "It was heartbreaking for both of us, but he's been very understanding while I've taken time to accept it. We've been talking about adopting, but I just don't know...it seems strange to bring up a child into this world that we live in who would never have the opportunity to partake in what its cousins were doing. It doesn't seem fair."
"There are magical adoption centers." Chris offered. "I should know. I've worked at one. The Ministry was suspicious of whether or not it was being used as a traffic center, so they sent me in."
Avery gave him the best smile she could muster. "Then you should also know the criteria required to adopt through those centers. I get knocked off on point number 3. 'One must guarantee that the child will be brought up in a strictly magical home style.' They don't say it directly, but essentially muggle-weds not welcomed."
"There has to be a way around that!' Chris argued. He was taking the hypothetical adoption of Avery's very seriously. "You're Harry-freakin-Potter's daughter! If there was ever a time to flaunt that for privilege, now would definitely be the time."
"We'll see." Avery smiled at him noncommittally. "Weren't we talking about your worries and troubles?" She asked, desperate to get the topic off of her. "Something about you having little dentist children?" She tried to sound as if she was teasing him good naturally. Instead it came off just as depressing as one would imagine that it would in that situation. Avery felt the tears prick at the corner of her eyes again from the expression on Chris' face.
"I think I should leave for now." Avery announced hurriedly in a choked-up voice. "Please tell Page that I'm sorry and I'll drop by again tomorrow." Avery asked as she collected her notebook and moved towards the door, leaving Christopherson in a still form next to her chair. Stopping with her hand on the doorknob, Avery turned back around. "Please don't tell anyone what I've just told you. I'm begging you."
"Of course." Chris promised her in hushed tone. "I would never."
"I know." Avery nodded her thanks and then she was gone, leaving Christopherson alone in the study with his thoughts and the now heavy secret resting on his shoulders.
OoO
An hour later, after a compulsory nap time, Page came walking back into the study, baby hormones in check once more. She moved silently around the house in her light grey yoga pants and stretched the best she could before walking in. Yoga wasn't her first choice of exercise by any means; she was much more of a mixed martial arts kind of gal. However after some serious consideration, Page had decided that kicking, punching, and rigorous sets of push-ups would probably not be in her future child's best consideration...thus the yoga.
"Where's Avery?" She asked her husband. Leaning over the side of the chair, she gave him a kiss on the temple.
"She had to go home." Chris answered hollowly. "She said that she'll come back tomorrow."
Page nodded and pulled her wand out of the pocket of her sweater. "Tea?" She asked. Chris nodded. Picking up two of the cups off of the floor, she gave each of them a tap. A stream of plain black tea filed one cup and rooiboos filled the other. Hermione had forbidden her from making tea whenever she came to visit her parent's home. It was all her mother could do to resist shuttering every time she saw Page magic in her tea. Handing Chris the black tea, Page settled down in the chair across from him with the one of the few types of tea she was still allowed to have.
They sat there in silence for a few seconds, sipping their teas. After a minute or two of the couple sitting there, drinking their tea in silence, Page broke the silence. "What's wrong?"
Chris stared down at the cup in his hands, unable to meet his wife's eyes. He was faced with a bit of a dilemma. On one hand, he had promised Avery that he would not say anything, and Christopherson Blake was not one to go back on a promise…but on the other hand, he had never lied to Page. Not even once.
"You should…" Chris did his best to try and phrase his sentence carefully. "maybe be a little nicer to your sister." It neither answered his wife's question, nor betrayed his sister-in-law's trust. All in all however, Chris still felt terrible about it.
Page placed her tea cup on the little side table next to her chair. The red tea together with the blue painted inside of the china created a purple shimmer. "So you know now, huh?" She asked softly, her voice no more than a whisper.
Chris' head snapped up. Page was watching him very intently. This was the most lost for words he had ever been in his life. "What?" He gave along with a small involuntary twitch of his head forfeiting his shock.
Heaving herself up out of the chair, Page moved and sat on her husband's knee. Even as heavily pregnant as she was, Page still looked and weighed like a doll. "Love, I'm a professional spy…Avery is my one and only big sister. You and I are essentially glorified secret finders. How long do you think she could keep something like this hidden from me?"
Chris wrapped his arms around his wife as Page pulled his head to her chest in a comforting motion. "Why her?" He whispered into Page's arms. "I feel terrible now for pushing out pregnancy news on her."
Page patted his head softly. "I was wondering who she was going to tell first. To be honest, I didn't expect it to be you."
"I would have figured your father. They are very close." Chris gave his opinion.
"Daddy would have been the last one to know." Page stated with a soft shake of her head. "You see how he is around children. He's just been dying for one of us to give him a grandchild." She paused and added in a soft voice, "It must be killing Avery to know that she can't share that with Dad…"
They both fell silent. After all, what could you really say in this situation? These sorts of things were heartbreaking for the entire family.
And then…Page had an idea.
In one sudden movement, Page forced Chris' head up. "What if I promised that I wouldn't take the mission?" Her eyes were darting back and forth rapidly. One moment she would have them locked on Chris, the next they would be shooting across the room as if making and inventory of what she would have to do. "Would you be able to give a reason for my unexplained absence for approximately two weeks?" She hurryingly added on.
Chris twisted his head out of Page's hands and the uncomfortable neck position. Narrowing his eyes, he studied her. "Would you be doing anything dangerous?" He demanded
Page smirked. "Nothing more dangerous than a few shouting matches. That, and perhaps the odd battle on the subway."
Chris stared at her with an odd look. "What are you going to do?"
Page gave her husband a pat on the head as she got off of his lap. "It'll be better if you don't know. This way you can claim ignorance." She cut off Chris' protest with a raise of her hand. "Nothing dangerous, I swear!"
Crossing the room, Page pulled a nondescript notepad out of one of the desk drawers. Grabbing a quik-ink quill, she scribbled something down on the paper. It immediately started to smoke, and with a small *pop* the words disappeared right off of the page.
"There!" Page brushed her hands together. "Mission declined. Now, if you'll excuse me, I've got to pack."
"What are you going to do?" Chris asked again and he too stood and crossed the room to his wife.
Page grinned up at him and tapped the side of her nose slyly. "Wait and see Love, wait and see."
OoOoO
One month later:
"I hate you so very much right now." Page growled angrily through clenched teeth. Chris, whose hand was going through a very similar grinding experience as Page's teeth, could only nod his understanding. "So very, very much."
"This isn't only your husband's fault you know." Her mother scolded her as she entered the hospital room. "It does take two to tango after all." She waited to receive the scowl by her daughter before crossing the room and placing a kiss on the top of her head. "Hello dear." Straightening up, Hermione crossed her arms and smirked down at the exhausted husband. "And how are you holding up Chris?"
"He's being a big baby." Page scolded as she released his hand and relaxed a touch as the contractions faded. "He's not even the one in pain."
"My hand would beg to differ." Chris grumbled as he rubbed his bright red hand.
"I'll tell you what…Next time you can deliver the baby and I'll hold your hand!" Page shot back to Chris' snide remark.
Harry laughed as he entered the room at the tail end of the back-and-forth. "Don't fret Chris, she'll be back to the prickly, scheming wife you know and love in the morning. I went through this with Hermione for nearly every pregnancy." He gave Christopherson's shoulder a squeeze before he too bent down and gave his daughter a kiss. "Might I add that you look stunning right now?" He teased.
Page gave the best theatrical toss of her hair she could considering it was tied up in a bun on the top of her head. "I've been trying to tell everyone, frumpy sweat-slick hair and baggy hospital garb is coming back, but no one believes me!" Her snarky reply got a chuckle from her father. Page eyes flicked up to the clock momentarily. She noted the time and relaxed against the pillows a little more. She still had a minute or so. "Who's all here now?"
Harry leaned against the wall. "Triple A is out there with Will right now. He's been trying to teach Ashton about the delicate intricacies of research algorithms for the last twenty minutes, but he'd rather play M.A.S.H with Alice and Anthony."
Page chuckled. "Sophie didn't come with him?"
Hermione gave her shoulders a shrug as she stared at a spot on the pale blue hospital walls. "Sophie got a job tracking down magical properties of the Aurora fields in Saskatchewan. She asked Will to go with her, but he wasn't ready to brave the minus fifty winters."
Page sighed. Her mother may not have been showing it, but she had been quite taken with the curly blond from the nature research branch of her office. Page doubted that Will's refusal to leave with Sophie had anything to do with the brisk winters as it did leaving right before she had her baby. Page knew for a fact that Will had seriously been considering asking Sophie to marry him. Hermione wouldn't have been the only one who would have been quite disappointed that they had broken up. Page looked back over towards her father. "And Avery?"
Harry rubbed the back of his neck as he shook his head. "Sorry Pidge…We haven't been able to reach her or Devon at all yet. I've tried owls, phones, floo, email…even the regular post. I have no clue where she is."
Page nodded again as she felt her body tense back up as the contractions restarted. She wasn't sure who was more upset that Avery wasn't there; herself or her father. "It's fine." She answered as she clenched part of the bed. Chris immediately offered her his hand. "It's not like we're on a deadline or anything." She tried to joke off how upset she was that her older sister wasn't there yet, but Page wasn't fooling anyone…or at least the grimace on her face wasn't.
"She will be here." Hermione reassured her daughter as she smoothed back some of the loose strands of hair.
"Well, I don't know if it's a 'she', but whoever it is in there certainly appears as if they're getting close to being here."
All the eyes in the room turned to the small Asian doctor lady who was entering the room. It was the same Doctor Lin that Hermione had been seeing when she was pregnant with the triplets thirteen years ago. The fifty-eight year old woman had been about to retire, but had agreed to stay on to help with Page's pregnancy. Hermione trusted her completely; and if her mother trusted her, Page trusted her as well.
Bending to examine Page, Doctor Lin stood up. "It's time." She declared. Motioning for the nurse to move forward, Lin started to clear the space at the end of the bed. "I'd like to ask for everyone but the husband and one other to leave the room now."
"No!" Page shouted, scooting herself as far back in the bed as she could away from the doctor. "I can't have it yet. My sister isn't here yet!"
"Babies rarely wait on order." Lee replied. If she was smiling, it was hidden behind her mask.
Page whipped her wand out from under her pillow and pointed it dangerously at the doctor. "By graces above or below, we are waiting! I don't care if I have to freeze time in this room, we will wait for Avery."
Lin crossed her arms and gave the grimacing woman in labour before her a very stern look. "Do what you must, but take heed…do you really think that it would be safe to perform such a spell at this moment?" Page's arm started to waiver. "Such a complicated charm when you're already in so much pain…what if you get the incantation wrong? Can you really guarantee that you won't make a mistake and potentially cause more harm than good?"
Page lowered her wand and handed it to Chris. "You're harsh." She stated; the level of awe that laced her voice was not missed.
"And you my child are stubborn." The doctor piped back. "It's a good thing I'm the doctor in this situation and you are not. Now…" She motioned to the door. "Whoever is staying, stay, but one of you will need to leave."
It was at that moment that Avery burst in through the hospital door and past the blocking nurse. "I'm here!" She announced hurriedly and out of breath.
Page exhaled and slide back down the bed into position. "Mom, Dad…kindly get out. Avery…." Page lifted her head up and glared icily at her sister. "You'd better have a damn good reason for being so late."
Avery rushed to the other side of Page's bed and grabbed her hand. "I'll tell you later."
"Doctor," Page gave a look of pure smugness towards Lin. "Now we can have my baby."
OoOoO
Harry was pacing the waiting room of the hospital, glancing up at the clock every ten seconds without fail. Hermione was working to finish the deep rustic golden coloured baby blanket that she was knitting. She had never taken to knitting quite as easily as her husband. Will had given up trying to explain what it was that he did to Triple A, and had instead opted for submitting to their anxious torture. At this exact moment it included having tiny ponytails being placed tied all over his head. His curly hair didn't quite create the spiky appearance they had been anticipating. Instead he had what could very well be declared the first broccoli hairstyle.
"What's taking them so long?" Harry asked exasperatedly as he slouched momentarily in the green faux leather waiting room chairs. He would sit there for a few second and then start pacing all over again.
"Harry, you've been through a number of births." Hermione chided him. "You know these things vary." Harry grumbled something under his breath as he checked the clock on the wall yet again.
One of the doctors walking through the hall paused at the sight of Harry. Walking towards Hermione, the grey haired man sat down next to her. "May I ask what you're waiting on?"
Hermione smiled humorously at the grey haired doctor. "Our daughter is having her first child today."
"Ahhhh…." The doctor grimaced sympathetically. "Would you like me to write you a prescription for some anxiety medicine for your husband? I've had to sit through two of these myself. It doesn't get easier."
Hermione stopped and seriously considered the doctor's tease. She opened her mouth to answer him, but was interrupted by Chris bursting through the doors.
"It's a boy!" He shouted happily to the room of waiting Potters, completely forgetting his inside voice. Harry was the first to make it to Christopherson. He threw his arms around his son-in-law and embraced him tightly.
Hermione stood up and was joined by the doctor. "Maybe next time." She answered him with a laugh.
He offered his hand which she shook. "Congratulations."
oooooo
It was a crowded hospital room. With Page on the bed holding her new son, Chris standing next to her with his hand on her shoulder, and all of the other seven Potter's hovering around each wanting to touch the baby…it was a good thing that they were the only occupancy in the room.
"What are you going to call him?" Alice asked as she stared wide eyed at the tiny red faced baby.
"We were going to call him 'Malicivous'," Page shot a fake scowl at her mother. "But Mother-dearest over there vetoed that name."
"And I'd do it again." Hermione countered with a smirk.
"We're thinking of Oliver." Chris piped in. He sat down on the edge of the bed and placed a hand on the blankets wrapping his child. "Oliver Terry Potter-Blake."
Harry stared in a silent shock for a moment as he sounded out the name in his head. He had specifically asked Page and Chris not to give their child any derivative of the name 'Harry' or 'Hermione' for its middle name.
It had taken Harry and Hermione a long time to officially 'name' Avery. And it had taken even a longer time to figure out her middle name. Hermione had been fine with naming her after Harry's mother, but it had been Harry who decided against that. It wasn't that he didn't hold his deceased parents in a special place within his heart…it was just that he wanted his children to be named who had a special place in both of their hearts. They had agreed then and there to never base one of their children after one of their relatives. Every one of their children had their middle names in honour of one of the either Harry's or Hermione's favourite authors.
Harry cast a glance at Page and Christ.
"Terry, for Terry Pratchett." Christ explained. The twinkle in Page's eyes let Harry know there was more than one reason for the name 'Terry Potter'; if only for the verbal similarity.
"Oliver." Harry echoed. He did his best to hide the misting of his eyes as he readjusted his glasses. "It's a grand name." Page held her hand out to her father, which he took and squeezed gently. "Just wonderful."
"Little Oli…" Will affirmed with nod. "He looks like an Oli."
The now dubbed 'Oli' let out a large yawn and squirmed as he wiggled in deeper to his blankets. This set off a series of 'awwwes!' throughout the witnesses. A nurse came in and declared that it was now time for the baby to rest in the nursery. Page released him…but not before pursing her lips and shot a few daggers towards the nurse clad in pink and kittens. The nurse, evidently used to this kind of behaviour, paid no attention to Page's antics and simply placed Oliver into his bassinet and wheeled him away.
"We should probably let you rest." Hermione smoothed away a few of the strands out of Page's face. "I know how exhausted you must be."
"You can all leave," Page agreed. "But first," She snapped her head towards Avery. "I need to know what was so important that my big sister almost missed the birth of my son."
Avery squirmed momentarily under the scrutiny of Page. She hadn't wanted to bring out the news today. After all it was Page's big day. When Page gave her an almost undetectable nod, Avery couldn't resist.
"You guys will never guess what happened!" Avery could barely control herself. The words were just bubbling out. "Because of Devon's nationality, we've been tentatively approved for an adoption from one of the mudanghalls in Korea!"
"Well, that is such a surprise!" Page declared happily with a clap of her hands, cutting off all impending questions; such as 'Why do you need to adopt?' It was a successful diversion.
However, that one little sentence was all it took to also set off warning bells.
All eyes flickered suspiciously to Page. After all, you don't live around someone for 25 years without knowing one thing… Page was never surprised. And if she ever said that she was, then she was telling you a dirty rotten lie.
"What did you do?" Avery asked. Her eyes narrowed to fine slits, but there was a hint of joy on her voice.
Page shrugged her shoulders in an unconvincingly innocent way as her eyes danced around the room. "I haven't the faintest idea what you're all talking about." She answered in a flowery voice. "And to be honest," She did her best to put a sob on her voice as she placed a hand on her chest and stared up at the ceiling, blinking far more times than necessary. "I'm more than a little hurt that you would even insinuate that I had something to do with my beloved sister's upcoming adoption."
No one missed the sparkle in her eyes…no one.
Avery threw herself on her sister and started to sob, a year's worth of tension evaporated in an instant. The whole room fell hushed as Page squeezed her sister tightly. It wasn't unusual for Page to do unexpected things, nor was it unusual for her not to take credit for them. Over all it was the perfect outcome for an otherwise stressful day.
OoOoOoO
Eight months later:
"I cannot believe that Oliver is walking already!" Avery commented as she watched in astonishment at Page's son scooting between the chairs and the coffee table in her study.
"He takes after his parents." Page replied proudly, watching her son totter around. Today he was dressed in beige corduroy pants with a white t-shirt and a dark green knit sweater vest, compliments of Chris' mother.
Avery let off a laugh as she reclined against the soft red leather lounger. "Need I remind you that it took you a year and a half to start walking?"
"I didn't say which parent!" Page defended with a shake of her finger before turning her attention back to her son. Oliver chose that moment to dramatically place both of his hands on his hips and gurgle up at his mother and aunt in a bubbly manner.
Avery hid a smile behind her hand. "Though, it looks like he might beat your record for earliest talker." She teased.
"Careful Oli," Page warned her son with a smile. "You're intimidating your Aunt Avy!" Oli clapped his hand together happily and promptly fell on his bottom where he proceeded to roll over and immediately started to crawl around with no seconds spared to crying. "See?" Page turned her smirking eyes back to her sister. "I told you he takes after his parents."
With a shake of her head and a smile, Avery took another sip of her cappuccino. Unlike the majority of her family, Avery much preferred espresso as her choice of caffeine addiction. It was rare that Page would come to visit her at her home. Page had made no secret of it when Avery had moved into the house six months ago, that she had disapproved of its lack of apparition safe zone. She had vowed that she would not come to visit until one was in place. Page had then stomped off and promptly left for the ministry and had one placed there the same afternoon. When Avery had gone to get one placed the week before, the official had told her that the minimum wait time was six months. Page would never have said it, but she had been worried about the security of Avery's family. Sometimes her sister really did amaze her.
Page was back at work now, thanks to a new daycare initiative invoked by her supervisor. She and Chris had both taken their six months of maternity leave at the same time, and evidently their absence had been noted. Mister No (as Page liked to refer to her boss), hurried them back into the field as quickly as possible. Even if it was only for 9-5pm missions right now.
Oliver was growing at a healthy rate. He may have been a little small for his age, but everything was proportionate. And with someone like Page as his mother, this was no real surprise. He was an adorable child, his features taking heavily from Chris' side with just a smattering of Page tossed in. He had hair that was neither here nor there yet, maintaining an option to fall between the dark blonde to black category of either parent. Surprising to everyone, little Oli had inherited his mother's emerald eyes. Almost everything else was Chris'. From the naturally tanned skin to the dusting of freckles across his nose, he was unmistakably his father's child. This fell much to Page's approval; she declared that he'd be far too girly looking if he had inherited her diminutive features. Most recently his baby fluff hair that had been present at his birth had grown into a shaggy dark mess. Hermione had been hounding Page to get it trimmed, but that only made Page cut it less. Not really out of spite, but more so to see how long it would take for their mother to cut it herself. Page had started a betting pool amongst the other Potter children. What her sister didn't know however was that Avery had an inside date picked and an agreement to split the pot with their father.
"So, what brings you here today?" Avery asked as watched Page take a sip of her coffee, grimace at the taste, and immediately toss in three sugar cubes.
"Can't a sister just randomly and completely coincidently drop by her sister's house for a cup of …" Page turned her lip up at the cup of dark liquid. "poison?" She grinned innocently as Avery smirked at her response. Page was one of those aggravatingly chipper people who did not require coffee in the morning; therefore she had never acquired a taste for it.
Avery laughed loudly as she crossed her arms and leaned back against the chair and smiled at her sister. "With you? There is always a reason!" She wouldn't tell Page this, but Avery loved it when she did the strange little things that made her 'Page'.
"Did you honestly forget?" Page inquired, staring at her sister quizzically. Oli tottered over towards his mother and lifted his arms up, requesting to be picked up. Page picked up her son and continued to stare at Avery. "You couldn't have...not this…"
Now she had piqued Avery's interest. "What are you talking about?"
Page took Oliver's hands in her own and clapped them together; much to her son's glee. "Wasn't there a very important thing you were supposed to do today?"
Avery thought back to her day planner and mentally ran through her checklist. "Not that I can recall. My next manuscript isn't due for another few months, and there's no anniversaries coming up. Alice had her nationals competition last week and Will's birthday isn't until next month." Avery shrugged her shoulders. "Today is just a regular day."
Page covered Oli's eyes with his hands and commenced peek-a-boo. "Hmm…is that right?" Her reply was anything but convincing. " Nothing at all?" Avery shrugged her shoulders again. Pursing her lips, Page sat in thought for a moment before leaning forward and giving Avery a very serious look. "Have you suffered a recent blow to your head?"
Avery could no longer keep her face straight. A grin escaped as she stood up and smoothing the navy blue skirt of her dress. "Don't fret!" She laughed. "I haven't actually lost my mind. I know exactly what you're getting at." She gave Page a wink. "It has been fun watching you try to hint at it for the last half an hour though."
Page held Oliver up underneath her chin and pouted at her sister. "Not fair. I was told that I wasn't allowed to mess with you today! Who gave you permission to tease me?" Looking up at his mother and noting her face, Oliver put on a similar pout for Avery.
"Would you believe Christopherson?" Avery answered with a chuckle at the pouty couple. She smoothed her fringe nervously; checking to make sure it was straight.
"Ohh…is he ever going to get it tonight." Page grumbled as she also stood and lifted Oliver to her hip.
"Come now," Avery gave her sister a little teasing push. "We both know what he's going to be getting later tonight…and it certainly isn't going to be a scolding." She double checked her outfit again. Avery knew exactly why Page had chosen that to come over to visit at this precise time. She had been a nervous wreck before her sister had rang the doorbell.
Page took Avery's fretting hand in her one free hand. "You look fine."
"Just fine won't cut it today." Avery argued as she tried to free her hand.
Page's grip held strong. "Everything is perfect." She insisted. "It will all work out."
"Mabrrl umbd." Oliver offered his encouragement as well as he held his arms out for his aunt. Avery took the small boy from her sister's arms and gave him a giant hug.
"It's about that time then, isn't it?" Avery asked, peaking at her sister from behind her nephew.
Page nodded. "Portkeys been all set up." She pulled a fluffy blue teddy from out of the carryall she had brought with her. Avery arched an eyebrow at it in question. Page rolled her eyes and held it out. "It's the only thing I could find that Oli would hold on to for long enough. Now are we going to transport, or are we going to stand here gawking all day?"
Taking Oliver's hand, Avery made it so that they were both touching the shaggy fur of the bear. Hoisting her bag over her shoulder, Page pulled the pocket watch out of her vest pocket and started counting down the seconds.
"Four…three…two…one…-"
Then, in that instant between zero and minus one, the three of them found themselves standing on the pristine tiled floor of the lobby at the Ministry. Looking around, Avery moved to join the line of people waiting for admittance. Page chose to march off to the receptionist desk instead without giving her sister or her son a second look.
"I am here representing the Potter family acquisition." Page addressed the young brunette firmly. The girl looked back at her with eyes that appeared just a little too large for her face. "There should be an international receiving room available for our use." The secretary opened her mouth to either argue or state some other sort of benign question that Page had little to no patience to deal with. Instead she chose to flip open a small black leather card holder that she drew from inside one of her pockets and displayed its contents for the woman at the desk. "I am a ministry official, number 4-4-8-3-6, and that is all you need to know of me." She stated sharply, closing the small book and replacing it back into her pocket. "I have a clearance code of level 9-D. If you thought that there were only eight levels of clearance, than I do not want to hear another word from you." She nodded her head towards the box on the desk used to page personal around the massive building. "You can check with Heedler if you wish, but then you're going to have to actually speak with him."
"Room six is available." The girl stuttered as she released the charm blocking regular people from crossing the threshold from the waiting room to the back offices.
"Thank you." Page gave the girl a curt nod before motioning with her hand for Avery to follow. "Let's go."
Waiting until they were out of earshot, Avery leaned towards her sister. "Was that really necessary?" She enforced her tone of disapproval.
"I hate the lobby." Page frowned. "Too many eyes. If they had just let me bring you in through the Mysteries door, then we could have avoided all that ugliness."
"Ooorrr, we could have just waited our turn in line?" Avery offered with a shrug of her shoulders.
Page stared back at her with a look of utter shock at mortification. "You expected me to wait?...You're serious?" With a shutter Page shook the thoughts out of her head. Leading her sister down a maze of halls and offices, they finally came to stop in front of a red door with a small brass '6' attached near the top.
Taking a deep breath, Page adjusted her outfit. She looked very professional today. Most days when she wasn't at work, Page dressed as if she had just stepped out of the Golden Age. Today however, she wore a crisp white dress shirt, buttoned all the way to the top, a black vest, black dress pants with an impressive crease ironed into them, and on her feet was a pair of wing tipped oxfords. Even at a time like this however, Page couldn't resist adding on some of her own little 'eccentricities'. The outfit was completed by the pocket watch in the vest pocket with the chain attached to the button holes, and the crimson red silk bow tie. Her hair was braided down both sides and joined into a complicated looking plait over her right shoulder. Avery felt a little underdressed whenever she stood next to her sister. In comparison, today Avery was wearing a two part dress; it was made up of a high waist navy skirt, and a grey boat neck shirt tucked in with screen printed birds up the one side.
Looking over to her sister, Page looked every bit like she was in command. "You ready?"
Avery took a deep breath and a nod as she straightened her shoulders the best she could. "You know, you never told me how you managed to arrange all of this."
Page gave her a smile that held many secrets. "And I never plan to. Let's do this!" Page declared with gusto as she tapped the door with her wand; it swung open effortlessly.
The room was plain, and nearly bare. There were two chairs resting in the corners at the front of the room, and a length long the back wall that was partitioned off and slightly raised; marked by a line of silver paint.
Avery set Oliver down near one of the chairs and went to stand by her sister in front of the silver line. "How long do we have to wait?" She whispered, afraid to break the silence in the room.
Page opened her pocket watch again and gave it a tap with her wand. It was then that Avery noticed that it had far too many hands; one of which had started to spin rapidly. "Not too much longer." She answered
Avery looked around the room. It was poorly lit, and the walls were dark. "What do you guys normally use these rooms for?"
Page grinned in a manor often reserved for people cast in super villain roles. "You don't want to know. You may want to not touch the walls too much though."
Avery's eyes grew wide. "You-"
She didn't get to finish grilling her sister. Evidently the tap of the watch had sent a single out, because at that moment, a single woman materialized in front of them; right in the silvered zone.
"Annyeonghaseyo." Page addressed the woman with a bow. "Hwanyeonghamnida"
The older Asian woman returned Page's greeting with a small nod of her head. She too was dressed professionally, if more modestly than Page, in a dark blue suit. "Annyeonghaseyo." She handed over a clipboard to Page and waited while she read over the paperwork. Avery started to wring her hands together.
Nodding as she made her way to the bottom, Page lifted her wand and pressed the tip of it against the bottom of the paper. "We accept your terms." The older woman nodded. Turning to Avery, Page held out the clipboard to her as well. "You need to sign." Avery reached to pull a pen out of her purse. Page gave her a look of distain. "With your wand." She stated matter-of-factly. Avery blushed as she pulled her wand out of her skirt pocket. Copying her sister, Avery pressed the tip against the page and waited as she watched the words flow out of it.
Handing the clipboard back to the administrator, Avery waited on bated breath as she double checked the signatures. After what felt like a lifetime to Avery, the woman lifted her eyes and gave her a warm smile. "Please wait just a moment longer." She turned back to Page and bowed deeply. "Annyeonghi kyeseyo."
"Annyeonghi kaseyo." Page answered with the correct 'good-bye'.
With that she disappeared with a *pop*. Avery looked around the room frantically. "Where did she go?"
"Patience, young grasshopper." Page addressed her with a sage's voice and a smile. "Good things come to those to wait."
Avery glared at her sister. "You hate proverbs."
"Not as much as you." Page answered in a sing-song voice and an overboard wink as she turned around and hurried over to pick Oliver up. He had been just about to touch a wall.
Again the time seemed to crawl by. It had only been a minute or two since the woman had apparrated away, but it seemed like an eternity to Avery as she paced the narrow width of the room.
When Page's pocket watch started to *ding* was Avery's first indicator that it was happening. A second later the *snap* normally associated with portkey travel went off in the room. Avery couldn't breathe for that moment. Devon stepped off of the silver platform first. Opening her arms, Avery accepted her husband's embrace. He had only been with his relative's home in Korea for a week and a half, but like everything that had gone on today, it too had felt much longer. She squeezed his hand tightly, unable to hide her nervousness as the second woman moved slowly towards them.
"Mister Abbotsford and Missus Potter," It was the same elderly lady as before. "I would like to introduce you for the first time to your daughter." She held the bundle out to Avery with a smile. "Her name is Sung Jae-Mi. It is a combination of Respect and Beauty."
Avery felt her arms shake as she reached out and lifted it out of her arms as if she was dealing with fine china. She hadn't realized how nervous she would be before now. Devon reached over and moved the blankets away so that they could see their child. The minute Avery locked her emerald eyes with the almond shaped black eyes staring back at her, tears started pouring down her face.
She could hear Page finalizing the adoption process behind her and Oliver scratching against the walls of the room. Nothing else mattered though. After all the pain and hardship of the last two years, everything else evaporated away as she reached down and took her daughter's hand. Devon wrapped an arm around her shoulder and held her close.
"Our daughter..." Avery whispered as she looked up at her husband, tears in her eyes. Devon softly kissed her on the temple as she wiped away her tears.
"The Council here by approves of the transfer of guardianship." The Asian woman announced. She bowed deeply towards Avery and Devon. "As per the agreement, your daughter must maintain a level of knowledge of her Korean heritage; we hold yearly summer excursions for all of our adoptees where they can experience both western and eastern magic. Also, her name has appeared on our registrar of worthy applicants. When she turns ten she will be given the option of either staying and attending your school of witchcraft here the next year, or taking her place at the Hall of Shamans."
"I don't know how to thank you enough." Avery did her best to bow holding her child.
The woman smiled at her. "Just take good care of Jae-Mi. Every child deserves to be loved."
"We will." Devon promised. He reached an arm out and offered his hand to the woman. She shook it firmly. "Aju kamsahabnida." With that, the Korean woman moved back into the apparation zone and disappeared without another word.
Page put a hand on her sister's elbow. "Common…" Avery beamed at her from behind all of her tears. "Let's go home."
Hoisting Oliver onto her hip, Page pulled out a second plushie from her bag. This time it was a black dinosaur shape with the bones pained on showing off its skeleton. Making sure the four of them were all touching the dinosaur, Page once again pulled out her pocket watch, gave it a tap, and started the countdown.
"Five…four…three…two…one…-"
Opening her eyes, Avery observed her surroundings in mild confusion. "This isn't my house."
Page gently pushed her towards the large red doors of the Potter's home. "No, but this will always be our home. Besides," She chided good naturedly. "did you honestly think Dad was going let you get by without showing off your daughter first?" She gave her sister a little push. "They're waiting for you."
Opening the door, the five of them walked into the house. The six foot sign hanging across the foray stated 'WELCOME BABY JAMIE!' was impossible to miss. It was decorated with multi-coloured flowers and snakes (Avery would learn later that the flowers were courtesy of Anthony, and the snakes were Alice's handiwork).
"Dad!" Page immediately scolded her father as she put Oli down on the floor much to the excitement of the advancing Triple A. The triplets marvelled at anything smaller than themselves. "I told you the baby's name was Jae-Mi, not Jamie."
Harry looked up at the sign. "That's what it says!"
"It's perfect." Avery insisted as she hurried towards her parents, eager to show off her child. "Meet your granddaughter." She lifted the small baby to display her to her parents. "Mum, Dad…this is our little girl." Avery couldn't contain the elation on her voice. Or suppress just how proud she was over her daughter.
Things had come around full circle, and now a new chapter has just started in the book of Avery's life. The upcoming events and situations to be were all just the words that would someday fill the pages of not only her story, but of that of her daughters and of all the people their lives will touch.
The End
…for now.
It wasn't until I had read through this that I realized how much I missed everyone! I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I did finishing writing it! Have a great day!
-Samantha