AN : Hello everyone! Not sure where this idea came from, it just sort of happened. There are very few stories where Regina has brothers, so I decided to give this a try. Please note that this story contains certain elements of the Harry Potter universe, though not enough so that I feel that labelling this as a crossover is unnecessary. This first chapter is more of an explanation of the timelines, an introduction of the brothers and their experience outside of the Enchanted Forest.
Disclaimer: I do not own Once Upon A Time or Harry Potter. All rights are reserve to ABC and J. K Rowling. With exception of some OCs, all characters portrayed belong to their respective owners.
Chapter 1: Family
The Enchanted Forest
Cora's POV
She couldn't believe it. She was so close to becoming Queen, only to have it ripped away from her by the wench Eva. Looking down at the wicker baskets in her hands, she scowls. That fool Jonathan hadn't just tricked her, soiled her and went on his way. No, he had left her pregnant with not one, but two insufferable children. As if on cue, one of bastards begins to wail, the sound grating on her ears.
"Stop it!" she says vehemently. This only seems to worsen the situation, causing the other to chime in. With her lips between her teeth, Cora can feel the beginning of a headache creeping up on her. The temptation to smother the babes growing by the second, she stops her trek. Setting the baskets down, she places her hands by her hips and pierces her lips.
"Stop your noise this instant," she admonishes "You two have cost me far too much already." But to no avail, the twins continue to cry. Sighing, Cora pinches the skin between her eyes, closing them. This month has been the absolute worst. First, Eva rats her out to Leopold, causing to him to annul their engagement and sending her on her way.
Then upon returning to her mill prison, she goes into labour dreading the thought of a child. When she had finally given birth, the sounds of a wailing babe echoed through the room. She hears her mother tell her it's a boy, but she pays her no mind, too busy catching her breath. Absolutely exhausted and spent, you could imagine her utter surprise and horror at another contraction.
Twins.
She'd had twins. Two living, breathing anchors to drag her down and keep her in a world of suffering. "No." she whispers looking down at said anchors. The one on the left was flailing about, his face red and scrunched up as he cries. The other, the one that was swaddled correctly by her mother, cries have subsided into hiccups and is staring right back at her. What she sees in those eyes, her own reflection. She looks tired and worn down. This frightens her and reminds her of just what she came all this way for.
Grabbing both baskets, she continues to walk, powering through the crying. She's determined to change her future. No longer would she let herself be dragged down by her parents and status! She's going to make something out of herself. Then that stupid wench Eva will rue the day she embarrassed her.
So taken by her thoughts, she almost didn't noticed that the other child had stopped crying. Looking down, they both stared at her with those big brown eyes of theirs, seemingly judging her as if they know her thoughts.
Smiling upon reaching her destination, Cora sets them both down by the riverbank. "Don't worry, boys." She says. "I'm doing what's best for you and me."
Wrapping them up tightly in their blankets, she continues. "Soon Mommy will be so much happier and she'll have so much power." Cora's face darkens. "And then they'll pay, all of them." If any were to catch a glimpse of her face under her blue hood, her sinister smile would strike fear into their very souls. "I'll make them pay for ruining my life, boys. Don't worry." With that said, she sets the wicker baskets in the river and summons the portal. A whirlwind of water and magic swirls the boys around and around before sucking them in. Little did their mother know that this would be what she'd hoped for, their last meeting.
Great Britain: River Clyde
The sound of cars honking and the stench of cigarette smoke were the signs of 1960s Scotland coming alive in the night. The Beatles play from the record player of a barber shop for the whole street to hear.
Lord John Tilford and Lady Annabeth Tilford were sat in their small boat, enjoying the stars when suddenly the river seemingly opens up next to them and out comes two wicker baskets.
"Blimey!" exclaims the bearded man, dropping his pipe. Annabeth, the more level headed of the two, tucks a strand of her red hair behind her ear before reaching towards the baskets with the oar.
"Now 'ang on Anna, what just happened?" asks a befuddled john, grabbing the oar from her and holding it as if to hit the baskets at the slightest movement.
"I'm trying to find out John" says the Scottish woman. "It appears to have been some sort of portal."
John nods slowly "Like one of them there portkeys you wizards use?" he asks handing her the oar.
He hesitates when she shakes her head. "No I've never seen such a portal before." She states before using the oar to drag one of the baskets towards them.
"Hold your horses one minute then," says John "you don't know what that could be then!"
"It can't be that bad." Anna says, pulling the basket unto the boat.
"Anna! It could be a monster or a tiger." Says John before scratching his beard "Maybe not a tiger, bu-" he's cut off by Anna who grabs his arm. Looking down in the basket they find a baby boy fast asleep. Catching each others gaze, they quickly work to get the other basket that thankfully hadn't drifted off. Now, on their little boat with the two babes, the couple looks at each other. Anna smiles down at the child in her arms and glances up at John hopefully.
"Now listen 'ere Anna" he starts.
"Please John. We can't leave them here to die and we haven't any of our own." Anna pleads.
John sighs and looks down at the boys. They were beautiful like all children. From what he could see, they had brown tuffs of hair and pale skin. Unable to resist, John strokes the cheek of the child in the basket. Almost instinctively, the child wraps his little hand around John's finger before yawning in his sleep. John smiles and looks at Anna who was scrutinizing her husbands face, smiling at his interaction with the child.
"Okay." He says and the smile he gets in return makes him want to scream yes at the top of his lungs just to see it go brighter.
AN: Now that we've set up the timeline, the next chapter will be more so a side by side of Regina's life in the Enchanted Forest up until she casts the curse and the twins life in 1960-70s Scotland. If you'd be so kind as to leave a review to tell me what you all think so far, that would be great. Thank you for reading!