"Mum, have you seen my red blouse?" This was the first thing Emily Lira Potter heard that morning in August. She watched her older sister Jade pack to go to Hogwarts mournfully.
"Do you have to go?" She asked. Jade looked at her, and smiled.
"Yes, Emmy, I have to go. But don't worry, I'll send you heaps of owls." Emily was not comforted by this thought.
"But you're the only one who understands about magic." She whined. "I don't have any friends at school."
"What about that Adeline girl that you were hanging around with last week?" Jade replied.
"Dare."
"Oh." Jade stopped folding her jeans for a moment, and walked over to where Emily lay in bed. "Honey, I have to go, you know that."
"I know, but why can't I come too?"
"You're too young."
"I'm only 6 years younger than you! And I can read and write just as well!"
"Can you say your times tables up to 12?"
"Er-"
"When you can, maybe, just maybe, you'll be old enough for Hogwarts. But I'm not making any promises."
"Ok." Emily resolved to start working on her 2 times tables that very day.
~*~
Jade sighed as she made her way down the stairs. She knew there was only so many ways she could put her 5-year-old sister off. Emily was unnaturally smart, and Jade knew she was dying to go to Hogwarts. What excuses could she make in the years to come?
"Mum, have you found my blouse?" She asked of her mother, Ginny Potter set the table.
"It's on top of your wardrobe, has been for two weeks, remember?" Jade blushed.
"Oh." She went to walk back up, but was stopped by her littlest siblings, Annie and Marc. "You two! Stop running!" She scolded them. They gave her gappy smiles, and kept going. "Mother, could you please do something about those two?" She complained.
"Oh, quit whining, Jadey." Her father, Harry Potter said, giving her a hug. "They're only two."
"Yeah, double trouble in their terrible twos." She muttered.
"Believe me, sweetie, you were worse." Her mother teased.
"I'm not surprised, with all that Weasley hair." Her father added, tickling her.
"Stop it, Daddy!" She yelped, squirming.
"Go get your lazy sister, then. Honestly, little Emmy is such a liabed." He said, grinning.
"Like you, dear?" Her mother asked, smiling fondly. Jade grinned as she went upstairs. She never got tired of seeing her mother smile like that. Heck, she never got tired of seeing her other smile, period!
She walked into the room she shared with her little sister. Emily was up, and tackling the mess of ebony knots she called hair.
"Here, sweetie, let me help." Jade patiently brushed all the tangles out of her sister's raven locks, then turned her around, so she could look into the emerald eyes identical to her own. "Have you got any idea how much you look like Dad?"
"I don't wanna look like daddy, I wanna look like you and Mummy. I like your hair, it doesn't get knotty."
"Sorry, but you're doomed to have Dad's hair for life." She put her curly black hair into two pigtails, then tied pink bows at the end. "At least you can wear pink, and orange, and yellow. I'll never be able to wear those colours, not with my ginger hairdo." Emily giggled.
"Well, I do like the colour yellow." Emily allowed.
"Of course you do, you're full of sunshine." Jade began to tickle Emily in the way that she, herself hated to be tickled.
"Stop it!" Emily giggled.
"Hmm…" Jade pretended to consider it, "Nope. Hey, wanna come to Diagon Alley with me today?"
"Stop tickling me, and I might say yes."
"There's an ice cream in there somewhere for a certain brunette if they decide to come."
"Can I come, then?" Her father asked, sticking his head in the door.
"No, it's my ice cream!" Emily squealed, escaping from Jade's grasp, only to be caught up in his.
"Battle me for it." He requested. She responded by kissing him on the nose, then widening her green eyes.
"Please, Daddy?" She asked softly.
"Argh, how am I supposed to deny you kids anything when you look at me like that?" He exclaimed.
"I'll remember that next time you say 'no' when I ask for a new broom." Jade said playfully.
"Oh no, I've created a monster." He groaned, as Jade and Emily walked out the door.
This is the first chapter for Jade and the Fire flyer, what do you think? R/R.