Together, We Are One
'C'mon Sleepy, time to get up!' the younger child exclaimed into her older sister's ear. Addie Lews groaned as she rolled over, and then winced slightly as the bright sunlight streamed through her open bedroom window. 'Bollocks…' she thought to herself as she turned back to the darker side of her room to catch a few more minutes of sleep, as Addie's younger sibling, Gracie, has since left the room, probably to wake the other siblings.
The household was two separate families combined as one after the surprise marriage of Addie's father to Pauline Davies two years ago making 8 children in all. On the Lews side of things, there was Addie, Adam Jr., and Grace. They had been raised by their strict father who was an ambassador for the Minister of Magic. They had traveled around a lot, especially after their mum passed away 3 months after the birth of Gracie, and their father had been stationed in France, America, Ireland, and Australia over the past 14 years. With the absence of a mother figure during all this time, the three Lews children had been raised by various nannies or governesses. In front of their father, they acted like the perfect children he thought them to be, but as younger children especially, Addie and Adam raised hell trying their best to get rid of each nanny after another until they both respectfully entered school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, one year after another—becoming Ravenclaws as their mother was at school (their father was a member of Gryffindor house).
So enters Adam Lew's Sr.'s new secretary, Pauline Davies, a single mother with 5 children; Gavin, who was the same age as Addie, Connor and Corryne, a year younger than Gavin, Tierney, a year younger, and finally Jack who was the same age as Gracie. Each child was different in their own specific way. Gavin was the athletic popular one who was good at Quidditch and dated a different girl every month. He was all in all cocky and infuriated the hell out of his stepsister whose friends had all dated him at one point or another. The twins Corryne and Connor were very studious and quiet. Tierney tried to follow in the footsteps of Addie as much as possible to the point of annoyance. And Jack was very similar to Gracie, in that he was excited that he was finally able to go to Hogwarts after watching each of his siblings go before him.
And now September 1st had finally arrived. It seemed like just yesterday that Addie was getting ready for her first year at Hogwarts much like Gracie and Jack were now thinking of. She was entering into her 7th and final year at the Wizarding School and was thinking of her prospects of an occupation in the Wizarding World the next year. Secretly, she wished to travel the world for a few years and be able to have the chance to see what else the world had to offer other than the little corner of the world where she had spent most of her time other when she visited her father in his various locations during summer breaks.
"Adelaide Evangeline Lews! If you do not get up this minute, you will make us all late for the Hogwarts Express!" a booming voice sounded up the stairs jolting Addie wide awake. "Yes sir!" Addie called down the stairs, feeling her face burn in embarrassment, even though she was alone. She sprinted around the room, getting ready as quickly as she could, grabbing a brush and pulling it through her unruly hair. Taking a deep breath, her hazel eyes glanced to the full length mirror in the south corner of her room. She had dressed in Muggle clothes; a summer dress that was plain black with thick shoulder straps at the top, with a pink, teal, white, and gray plaid pattern on the bottom that came to her knee. Addie accompanied her ensemble with black ballet flats and a black headband that stood out in her fiery tresses. Her father was all about good first impressions, so every year in tradition the entire household dressed their best on their way into London. With the addition of his eldest being late, Adam Lews Sr. would probably be in a bad mood when she got down the stairs.
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"Why Princess Adelaide, we are astonished you've finally graced us with your presence."
Addie gritted her teeth at Gavin, clenching her fists, fit to punch him in the mouth when no one else was around. "Piss off you bloody git…" she muttered under her breath as she picked up her travel bag and let the strap fall awkwardly on her shoulder. Her footing faltered slightly, causing her step brother to double over in laughter. If his mother hadn't come in at that moment to see what the commotion was about, he would've gotten a right kick to the shins. "Alright there dears?" the elder woman asked, wondering why Gavin was laughing so hard, and why Addie was red in the face.
"Adelaide, leave the bag for Gave to bring outside and help me finish packing up the lunches." Pauline Davies said with a fond grin for her step daughter. Gavin immediately stopped laughing and his grin quickly turned into a scowl. Addie handed the bag to her step brother, smirking, then turned on her heel and followed Pauline into the kitchen.
Addie looked around confused as the kitchen was completely spotless. "What about--?" she began to ask as her gaze fell to her step mother's bemused expression. "It was all taken care of this morning by Jeanette." Pauline explained with a wink. Addie chuckled lightly, realizing that Gavin had been punished for teasing her. 'Serves him right.' she thought crossing her arms, subconsciously warming herself from the crisp morning air streaming in through the back door.
"Funny how this is your final year already and during such an interesting time." Pauline said, breaking the awkward silence that had accumulated between the two. "Yeah it came quicker than I thought." Addie replied with a nod as she pushed herself off the marble counter she had been leaning on. She paused, thinking about her step mother's words and looked to the woman confused. "Wait, what do you mean, 'interesting time'?" Addie asked. "You'll find out soon enough Darling." Pauline replied with a bright grin. The word 'darling' reverberated through Addie's head and for a brief moment, she touched the pendant around her neck, a star and crescent moon with her name etched on the way of the moon in a pretty cursive writing. It was the last gift she had received from her mother before she passed away.
Pauline's warm smile faded slightly. Both women knew how difficult it was very Addie to accept that her father had remarried. 'You loved my mother! How could you do that to her?!' the younger girl had scolded her father after he announced his engagement to his secretary. And being forced to combine households was probably worse, particularly with Gavin Davies—the biggest goof-off at school. Addie tried to progressively make the situation work as best as she could, mostly by keeping to herself by wandering in the forest near the Davies-Lews estate.
"Right, well we'd best be off." Pauline said with another weak grin before heading back out of the kitchen and towards the front door. Still dazed by her thoughts, Addie murmured, "Watch over me Mother. I want to make you proud." And she followed in her step mother's footsteps and out into the golden sunlight.
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The dull thuds of train hitting rail was putting Addie into a sleepy stupor as she silently read her book. It was a play by a famous English playwright; William Shakespeare called Romeo and Juliet:
43 What's in a name? That which we call a rose
44 by any other name would smell as sweet;
The sudden shriek of laughter broke Addie's concentration and she looked up with a furrowed brow. Her four best friends, Katherine, Alison, Siobhan, and Bridget were looking out the compartment door at none other than Gavin who was, as always, trying to get a good laugh from his peers. Addie clenched her jaw, placed her book in the small wicker basket by her side and went to the door.
"I get enough of you at home, is there some reason you wish to keep annoying me?" Addie asked the boy in an icy tone. "Just trying to get your friends to actually laugh after having to hang with Little Miss Debbie Downer all the time." Gavin replied nonchalantly. "Aha, good one mate." His friend Ioan Parker added, clapping on his shoulder. Addie gave them both a dirty look but turned her attention to Gavin once more and in a low voice said, "Stop flirting with my friends because they are already out of your league." And she pulled the glass door shut so hard that it shook for a good minute.
"Merlin's beard Addie, give the boy a break." Her friend Ali said looking at the door still shaking and saw Gavin looking at her fondly. The girl's face flushed when he winked and tapped Ioan to follow him down the hall. The latter boy paused to look at Addie one more time before following his best mate down the hall for another form of entertainment.
"Give the boy a break?! Do you know what the incessant little annoyance has done to me this summer? It's a wonder I didn't turn him into a little frog." Addie replied sitting down abruptly once more beside the window and looking out at the scenery, darkened by the fast approaching sunset.
"Well maybe if you treated him nicer he'd do the same for you." Ali replied in a soft tone, trying to keep the tension to a minimum. 'And you'd approve of us dating…' she thought, biting her bottom lip gently. She hadn't told any of the other girls but she and Gavin had been secretly dating each other since the beginning of the summer. Course Addie didn't keep tabs on her step brother since they weren't very friendly with each other so she hadn't caught onto anything.
Addie pursed her lips, choosing to ignore her friend's suggestion not wanting to start a fight so early into the school year and instead picked up her book and began to delve back into world of the Capulets and Montagues where secret relationships were the most romantic situation. Slowly, the interruption passed out of her head and Addie returned back to her happier mood.
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'She'll never like you mate.' Ioan thought to himself as he walked down the hallway with Gavin in front of him. The 'she' in this situation was none other than Addie and Ioan had been secretly crushing on her since the beginning of last year. But being that he was her step brother's best mate, she was off-limits on so many different levels.
But every time they saw each other, Ioan felt a constant squeeze in his chest like he couldn't breathe. To him, she was breathtakingly beautiful and he couldn't help but smile every time that she reprimanded Gavin for being an annoyance. Ioan knew that his friend just did it to get the attention of her friends but he didn't complain because it meant seeing Addie even for a brief moment. "Bollocks." He muttered under his breath as they continued down the hallway.
"What was that?" Gavin asked, turning his head just so to look at his friend. "Nothing mate, talking to myself." Ioan lied and gave the boy a crooked smile. "Hey, do y'think the Trolley's still going about this late?" he asked Gavin, changing the subject swiftly. "I don't know mate, but let's go look for it yeah?" Gavin replied with a mischievous grin and he quickened his pace looking for the elderly witch with the sweets cart.
Ioan grinned to himself, glad he had successfully gotten his friend's attention on something other than girls and quickened his pace to match Gavin's as they listened for the calls of 'Anything from the Trolley…'