There was a fluttering of wings as a brown owl flew in through the window and landed in front of Lukas Bondevik, who was handed two letters. After giving the owl a treat and its pay, it went off on its way. Lukas smiled to himself, his kids were going to be ecstatic. He folded up the Prophet and stood up.
He walk up the stairs to the twins' room. He knocked softly before opening the door. They were sleeping peacefully, but not for long. He shook them both awake until they sat up and blinked at him groggily.
"Annette, Andreas, guess what came with breakfast?" He asked, holding up two letters which were signed with a deep blue ink and stamped with a special seal. The two were immediately awake after that, jumping out of bed to retrieve their letters.
"Anette! Look at this! I've been waiting forever! I can't believe we are finally eleven!" The boy said, his dark blue eyes flashing with joy. He was much like his Uncle, boisterous and loud. Lukas thought it was endearing, rather than annoying like Mathias.
"Yes, Andreas. I know. I sat there listening to you." The girl replied, her dark violet eyes still scanning over the letter. While her voice was monotone, her eyes gave away her excitement.
"Come on you two, let's get breakfast. Then we can all go to Diagon Alley for those things on your lists." Lukas said, ushering his children down the stairs to the kitchen. He had prepared their favorites for breakfast, Andreas has a stack of chocolate chip pancakes and Annette had a stack of blueberry pancakes.
Andreas gave a whoop of excitement and immediately dug in, though minding his manners, he was raised correctly after all. While he was chowing down, two other residents of the house came downstairs. One was a tall intimidating looking man and the other was a softer, more rounded man.
"Uncle Berwald!" The twins cheered, running up to the tall man. They absolutely adored their Swedish uncle, he was Andreas's favorite uncle after all.
"Look! We got our letters! Uncle M said we wouldn't!" Andreas said triumphantly, showing off the now opened Hogwarts letter. The man smiled down at them, clearly proud and happy. He ruffled both of their heads and gave them a thumbs up. It was still too early in the morning so Berwald wasn't up to talking yet.
The other man gave a great smile and was practically bouncing where he stood. "I knew you two would receive them! Which house do you want to be in?"
"Slytherin like Uncle Berwald of course!" Andreas said, Annette nodding her head in complete agreement. She was the one who made up for Andreas's loudness. Like how their father made up for Mathias's. Speaking of Mathias, he and the last resident of the house walked downstairs.
"What? You don't want to be part of Gryffindor with me?" Their uncle looked quite affronted by the notion. Annette rolled her eyes, he was always quite the drama queen. She walked over to him and gave him a hug. He was such a soft hearted individual. He was her favorite uncle, but she still didn't want to be in Gryffindor. She really admired how Uncle M could stand up for anybody and wouldn't shy down from punishing a bad guy.
Uncle M felt less offended and pulled Annette onto his shoulders like when she was younger. She wasn't very tall at all so it wasn't too much effort.
"No, we want to be cool, like Uncle Berwald." There was a gasp and a eruption of laughter from everyone except Mathias. Even Annette was laughing, Uncle Mathias pouted to himself, looking quite offended.
"Wow, you just got burned. Lukas, you don't happen to have iced coffee this morning, do you?" Emil snorted, wiping tears from his eyes. The man just shook his head, looking quite amused himself. Uncle Mathais just sent the youngest uncle a glare and sat down at the table after putting Annette back down on the floor.
"No, I don't. But I do believe an Aguamenti is in order." The man smiled, pulling out his wand and pointing it at Uncle M.
"C'mon g'ys. D'n't we ne'd to get Andr's and Annette th'r th'ngs?" Berwald said, having finished his first cup of coffee. The twins were finished with their breakfast, so Berwald told them to get dressed and that the rest of them would be finished with breakfast by the time they were done.
Andreas and Annette chuckled and went upstairs to get dressed. Annette got into the bathroom before Andreas so he had to get dressed in their room. They got dressed in their usual attire, Andreas threw on a sweater and a pair of khaki slacks. Annette put on a sweater and a pair of jeans.
They headed back downstairs, where it looked like everyone had scarfed down their breakfast as fast as they could. The twins shared a look and shrugged, their family was weird. They then headed over to the Floo where they Floo'd over to Diagon Alley. The green fire consuming them and transporting them to their destination.
Once they arrived, the uncle split up. Most of them were teachers at Hogwarts after all, they knew what the kids needed. Lukas was left with the twins, and he led them to get their first wands. This is what they were looking forward to the most after all.
As soon as they entered the store, the old man stared at them with intensity. It was a bit creepy and Annette was slightly unnerved by him. She unconsiously slipped a bit behind her brother, who stood firm, raising an eyebrow at the man.
"Ah, I remember you. You have the same wand? Made of Yew, eleven inches, unicorn hair core, quite stiff, if I remember correctly. You having these two get their first wands I assume?" The old man peered at the twins through his circular spectacles.
"Yes, please." Lukas smiled, remembering the day he got his first wand.
"Well, come on children. Let's let a wand find you." He wandered about the seemingly endless amount of stacks and shelves of wands, looking and peering at them. Pulling some off the shelf and then putting it back, muttering to himself. He was quite eccentric it seemed to the twins.
He finally came back, carrying two boxes. "For the boy, let's try ash, unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches, unyielding." The man handed the wand to Andreas who gave it a swish, and it indeed do something, but it wasn't the thing the old man wanted so he snathed the wand away and handed Andreas the other wand in his hands.
"How about cedar, phoenix feather, thirteen inches, and swishy." Andreas picked up the wand and something in the back seemed to crash. The wand was of course snatched back and Olivander went to look for a wand that would suit the young Bondevik. The wand maker came back with more wand boxes, it only took two more tries before the man found what he wanted to see.
"That wand is spruce, dragon heart string, 12 and three quarter inches, unyielding. Treat it well. Now, for the young lady…" He stared at Annette for a few seconds and disappeared into the back.
"Try this one, Ash, unicorn hair, eleven and a half inches, unyielding. You two are twins, correct? Maybe this wand will work for you." The wand responded by exploding the light bulb. "Oh no, that's not good."
The process was repeated. Annette would swish a wand and Olivander would deem it unsuitable before snatching it away and handing her another.
It took about five tries before he finally came back with the wand, "How about this? Cedar, unicorn tail hair, ten and a half inches, and quite stiff." Annette swished the wand and felt a sense of warmth. Olivander just smiled. Andreas was still admiring his new wand and giving it a conspiratory smile.
"That will be 14 galleons please." Olivander said, Lukas happily gave up the gold coins, and they walked out of the store to Madame Malkins for robe fittings. Andreas was happily swishing about his new wand, not doing anything really, just loving the feel of it in his hands. Annette was holding it tightly, already getting used to the feel of it in her hand.
They entered Madame Malkins and found Mathias chatting with one of the boys in the store. Annette rushed up to him, eager to show him her new wand. He turned around and gave a great big smile.
"Hey, just the girl I wanted to see. Nice wand, this boy is Ludwig Beilschmidt, he is the keeper for the Gryffindor Quidditch team." Andreas heard the word Quidditch and scampered over, ever the lover of the sport.
"Wow! You're the keeper! " Andreas asked excitedly. "That's super cool, I'm kind of leaning towards being a Beater whenever I can play Quidditch. How id it? Is it fun?"
The boy proceeded to bombard the other with questions. The blond didn't seem to mind, however, and good humoredly answered all of the eleven year old's questions. Mathias looked on with a good natured smile.
"Andreas, come and get your robes fitted please." Lukas called, Andreas said good bye his new idol and went over to his father to wait the last few minutes of the other person's fitting.
"Your brother is an exciteable one? Mine is too, but mine is a bit more… conceited than yours is." Ludwig went and sat by Annette. She stared at the boy for a few seconds, he seemed the good loyal kind.
"Yes, he is isn't he? He's almost an exact replica of Uncle Mathias. My name is Annette, that was Andreas. I apologize if he annoyed you." She responded.
"No no! His eagerness was quite flattering actually. Made me a touch embarrassed, but the good kind. It was humbling too." Ludwig gave a smile.
"What is your brother like?" Annette asked, before hearing some shouting of Ludwig's name from inside the shop.
"You'll see in a few seconds." Ludwig said, that was when a boy about Annette's age bursted through the curtains. He had snow white hair and skin and bright red eyes.
"Ludwig! Did you miss awesome ME?" The boy said, practically strutting over to where his brother was sitting. Andreas made a face to Annette before being shooed into the fitting area.
"Of course. Gilbert, this is Annette Bondevik." Ludwig said, introducing the two. Annette stood up and offered her hand for a hand shake. Gilbert held at his hand as well.
"Nice to meet you, Bondevik. Say, are you a first year too? Which house do you want to be in? I want to be in the awesomest one, GRYFFINDOR!" Gilbert said, puffing out his chest, making him look quite comical.
"My brother want to be in Slytherin, like our uncle." Annette replied, watching the funny acting boy with amusement.
"Well! It seems we will be rivals, you will never be as awesome as me there you know. No one will be as awesome as me!" The boy said confidently, holding his wand above his head like some kind of super hero. Ludwig by now was shaking his head, he checked his watch and stood up.
"Come on Gilbert, mother is expecting us in a few minutes. Nice to meet you and your brother, I hope to see you at Hogwarts." Ludwig gave a polite smile, shaking Annette's hand.
"I look forward to seeing you too, Bondevik. We will be the awesomest of rivals." Gilbert said, a brilliant, genuine, smile on his face. He then dashed after his brother, laughing to himself.
Lukas gave a chuckle at Annette's confused expression, who would've thought? She already had a rival. Annette sat back down next to her father. She thought to herself, well, it seemed that she would need to keep an eye out when they arrived at Hogwarts.
Andreas was soon done with his fitting and it was Annette's turn. It passed without a cinch, and they were assured that their robes would arrive before they were to board the train. Lukas gave a small smile as his two beloved children munched on some ice cream as they waited for the other uncle's to come back. But to be honest, they should have been here first, all they were doing was picking up books or supplies. Lukas sighed to himself, Mathias had forgotten all about shopping as soon as he saw his Keeper and had hit up a conversation.
The man was just starting with his shopping, hopefully he can keep himself on track. Emil was the first one to join them, he handed Annette and Andreas an owl cage. It was a dark black color with black speckles. It blinked at Annette slowly and gave a hoot. Annette gave a bright smile to rival her brother's.
"Happy birthday, his name is Midnatt. He told me himself." Their uncle said, he had an affinity for animals, being able to speak to some of them. He was the Care of Magical Creatures professor at Hogwarts, as well as the head of Ravenclaw.
Tino and Berwald arrived shortly after, they carried their potions things. Well, Berwald was at least, Tino looked like he had offered to help but Berwald had refused. Tino gave a big smile to his niece and nephew, his lavender eyes sparkling happily.
"You'll be needing these things. Mathias is supposed to be getting your books." Tino said, looking down the street for the tall Danish man. He was nowhere in sight. "Well, it doesn't matter as long as he doesn't go drinking. But I have a present for you two." Tino handed them two small bags. "They go right to your Gringotts account, which get's five galleons a month, as you two know. Do not lose those bags."
"Thank you, Uncle Tino! You really are Santa Claus!" Andreas said with a big grin on his face. Tino just blushed happily and snuggled the boy in response.
"Actually, I'm your Charms professor, Ber here is your Transfiguration professor." Tino responded after standing back up.
Mathias arrived about thirty minutes later. "Well, seems that I'm late. I was held up by some kids on the Quidditch team, they were asking things about Quidditch captain and I couldn't leave them hanging." He said, plopping the bags of books on the ground beside everything else.
Lukas raised an eyebrow but accepted the excuse, "Now that it seems we have everything plus some. We should head home. Andreas and Annette, hold onto me, we are Apparating." The twins followed the command, holding onto their father, Annette holding the owl cage as well. The rest of their uncles grabbed the shopping items and Apparated to their home. Lukas followed shortly after.
The family celebrated a little longer,everyone in good humor. However, everyone except for their father and the twins had to leave in the morning. Being professors they had to leave early for class planning and setting things up for Hogwarts which was starting in a few weeks.
The twins said their last goodbyes and thank you's to the leaving Uncles before heading upstairs to go to sleep. They fell asleep quickly after the altogether long and exhausting day. It was a day they would remember forever.
The next weeks for them was a boring affair, at least for Andreas. Annette being eager to learn had started reading the school material. But when Andreas could he would drag Annette to play a game of wizard's chess, Exploding Snaps, or spot the snitch.
Otherwise, Annette was much like her father in the respect that you could usually find her curled in a chair with a book. But when Andreas did challenge her and she felt up for it, she was a fierce competitor. Midnatt was there too, a constant companion to Annette, either resting on her shoulder or roosting somewhere nearby.
Annette was soon far ahead in the reading material, occasionally getting Andreas to read it too. Andreas wasn't as in love with books, but he appreciated the knowledge they contained. He just preferred to be active.
It was soon the day to go to Hogwarts, while the days between their birthday and the arrival date went slowly, it was worth the wait. Annette and Andreas were filled with barely contain excitement as the pushed their belongings towards the entrance platform. Midnatt was silently observing from the cage atop the suitcases.
"Now, Annette, Andreas. You be good, mail me often. Behave or I will hear of it. Your uncles are there to keep you safe, but they aren't going to give you special treatment during class so do not expect it. Be kind, be respectful, you have had advantages of being in the household of four of the many professors at Hogwarts." Lukas said, giving them a run down of everything before sending his only children off to Hogwarts. "Your mother would be so proud to see you two right now. Remember to be polite and kind to everyone, you'll do great. I know you will. I love you both. I will see you at Christmas."
The twins hugged their father, murmuring their 'I love you's as well, holding their father tightly. They then headed for the train. They had seen Ludwig, who gave a nod of acknowlegdement and a wave. They haven't seen Gilbert but they knew he was bound to show up sometime.
The twins arrived at an empty compartment which they soon claimed. They threw their trunks up into the top racks and sat down. They were silent, they couldn't believe that it was finally happening. It was like a dream. Andreas, looked at his sister, who looked at him in return. They burst into giggles, it was all just so surreal.
They soon heard a knock at the door, they composed themselves and peered at the two people who approached them. It was a pretty girl with bright green eyes and a snobby looking boy with amythest eyes.
"Hello? May we sit with you? The rest of the compartments are taken." The twins nodded and Andreas switched over to sit by Annette. The two entered the compartment and sat down across from them. There was an awkward silence before the girl smiled.
"Oh, how rude of me! My name is Elizaveta Hedervary and this is my friend Roderich Edelstein." She gave a bright smile and held out a hand to shake. Andreas shook her hand and gave a smile in return ever the sociable one.
"My name is Andreas Bondevik and this is my sister, Annette." He said, motioning to his sister who shook hands with Elizaveta as well.
"I am so excited, I have been ever since I recieved my letter. I'm a muggle born you know, I didn't know magic was real until then! Well, I mean, I had always felt something special but I never knew it was rea-" She was hushed quickly by her friend Roderich, who then spoke.
"I hope you two are not the pureblood only kind of people. Or else we might need to find a new compartment." He said, his voice being a bit stuffy, not as sweet as his friend's.
"Why would we be like that?" Andreas asked, tilting his head, a bit of dark fringe falling into his eyes. Annette raised an eyebrow in response. "Everyone has an equal chance, you just have to work for it."
"That's good, see Roderich! They're good people, don't be such a pessimist." Elizaveta scowled at her friend, sending him a frown. He only grumbled and started to sulk as she rolled her eyes. "I'm sorry for him, but a boy made fun of him on the way here and now his pride is hurt quite frankly."
Annette gave a small smile, "No, it's okay. You are right to be on the defensive. Not everyone is very nice. What house would you like to be sorted into?" She asked, changing the topic to something hopefully less tense.
Elizaveta lit up, "I want to be in Gryffindor! It seems like such a grand house!" The girl's bright eyes sparkled with excitement, and it was contagious. She was practically bouncing in her seat.
"We want to be sorted into Slytherin, we want to be like our Uncle, he's the head of house." Andreas said, his dark blue eyes sparkling, it was like an eye sparkling contest. Annette nodded in agreement, studing their curent company. Elizaveta was a nice girl it seemed, a bit too nice but she had a good sense of morals about her. Roderich had a bit of an ego, an ego that didn't like to be wounded. Annette noticed these things and stored them away for later. They soon were approaching the school, they had bought some confections from the trolley and were nibbling on them. The boys after they finished went to go change into their robes somewhere else. Annette and Elizaveta stayed behind to change. Annette pulled the uniform on and the robe, which fitted perfectly. She then felt her hair, she didn't feel her hair pin and became worried. Where was it? She didn't drop it at the train station did she?
"You looking for this?" Elizaveta asked, picking up the hair pin off of the floor. "It's very pretty, where did you get it?"
"My mother before she passed away. It was hers. Thank you." Annette said, pinning her hair back up. ELizaveta looked sympathetic but didn't say anything which Annette appreciated.
Once the females were dressed they sat back down, and started talking. Annette wasn't a socialist, but she thought that it was a nice conversation. Andreas and Roderich soon came back, they entered the cabin and sat down. The rest of the trip was passed in amiable silence. Soon they would arrive at Hogwarts. Soon.