Disclaimer: Nothing familiar belongs to me. Everything you recognize belongs to those who own the rights to it. The USQL and all its teams belong to Rowling and AZScorpions24 whose fic on the league can be easily found on my favourites. With the obvious exception of my various original characters that can also be found in my fic One Letter
Well, I finally got some time to post on this story. I won't be posting again to after the first, so Happy Holidays to everyone and I hope you enjoy this chapter.. Love ~ Vivi
Chapter Two
Five years later...
Tempest sat next to her mother. She blinked and tossed her head back as she tried to banish the tears that threatened to fall. When that didn't work, she ran a hand through her hair and rose to her feet. "What the hell had Celly been thinking?" The words came out harsh, but Tempest couldn't help but be mad at her twin for this. She knew deep down that it was not Celeste's fault. It was the fault of some idiot who thought a Chimaera made a good pet. It was the Department for the Control of Magical Beasts fault for not keeping an eye on a man who had broken their laws time and again. It was the fault of the Aurors who had taken her Healer of a twin with them in hopes to get a calming draft or charm on a man they were going to arrest for suspicious activity and possible disappearance of two muggles. Of course, that wasn't the only reason that Tempest was questioning her sister's sanity. How could Celeste possibly believe that Tempest would have the slightest idea how to raise Flynn, Gabe, and Hazel? Those beautiful, beautiful little babies that Tempest adored, but really had no idea of how to take care of them. She stared out the window for a moment and straightened her spine. She would just have to figure it out.
"Temmi," Melissa put a hand on her daughter's arm. "We'll figure this all out."
"It's time to pick the triplets up from school." Tempest shook the hand off of her. She refused to be weak. "I'll owl if I need anything."
"Tempest..." Melissa shook her head and looked over to meet the blue eyes of her husband. "Robert, how can we help her?"
"There is little we can do, but support her in her decisions, just like we did with Celeste." He murmured, wrapping his arm around his wife. "I just wish Tempest had someone to turn to."
Tempest pulled the bill of her baseball cap further down over her eyes. The school that the triplets went to was magical and she knew that more than one of the parents knew who she was. this was proven when a man approached her.
"Oh, wow!" He said as he eyed her appreciatively in her jeans and T-shirt. "You're Tempest Rayne, aren't you? What are you doing here?"
"I..." She trailed off as three blurs of red came flying at her.
"Aunt Tem!" The boys cried out together as they flung themselves on her. Hazel, who looked like a miniature version of her mother, except for her big brown eyes, grinned widely. "Temmi!"
"How are my favourite bludgers? She gave them a smile and looked up at the clearing of a throat. Tempest looked over the woman before her. "Yes?"
"I was hoping to talk to your sister."
"You can talk to me." Tempest's eyes narrowed. How was it possible that she didn't know? It had been over three weeks and was covered by almost all of the American magical publications and several from other countries. "I'm their guardian."
The woman's eyes widened slightly with sudden comprehension as she paled. "Gabe, Flynn, Hazel, could you go and tell Sandy that your aunt is here? She'd really like to meet her."
The kids frowned. They had yet to understand why people always wanted to talk to their aunt, but they went back into the building anyway.
"I was sorry to hear of your sister's accident."
"I have custody of the children in accordance to Celeste's will."
"Do you think..." she trailed off.
"I've been helping my sister with them since they were born." She snapped. "Now, there was a problem?"
"It's simply that... well... Gabriel, Hazel, and Flynn are a bit of a handful and..." She flushed. "This is a terrible time, but I'm afraid that we need to do something about their... their rambunctiousness."
Tempest eyed the woman. "Is that so?" The words came out in something of a low growl.
"I.. uh... I..."
"Flynn! Hazel! Gabe! Let's move!" The boys appeared quickly and eyed their aunt. Hazel followed more slowly behind them. The look on her face was something they had never seen and they shrank back for a moment. "My nephews and niece will not be returning to this school. Please sent their things to my apartment."
"Cool, we don't have to go to school." Gabe grinned.
"Do we get to go to the pitch with you?" Flynn asked with an identical grin.
"We'll see."
"That means no." Hazel rolled her
December...
"So Miss Rayne, if you will sign here..." The wizard pointed to a line on the contract. Tempest took up the quill and tried not to notice that the man looked about ready to pee himself in his excitement. "And here. And here." He moved back as she stood up and grinned widely. "Welcome to the Cannons."
Tempest took the man's hand and turned towards the camera to give it her trademark smile. The flash blinded her for a moment and she blinked before rubbing a finger over the bump in her nose, a reminder of her very first time at bat as a professional beater. She had been fifteen and signed on to the New York Bombers, which she was now leaving.
"Miss Rayne, a question?" A reporter called as Tempest began to leave the conference room.
"Just one. I have to finish packing."
"Of course." He smiled at her. "Why the Cannons? I mean, you could have had a contract with just about any quidditch club." The wizard from the Cannons looked aghast at this question as though he had kept these facts from Tempest and was worried that she was going to break contract.
"Flippant or real?"
"Both." The wizard winked at the redhead.
"Well, I didn't want to give up my colors and I believe that the Cannons have a wonderful history and even have several players who are wonderful. They just need a little something to pull them from their slump."
"Is that something you?"
"Oh, no. I'm only a beater. For the Cannons to rise, we need to be a team."
"You could have followed in Aunt Melissa's footsteps." Sean grinned as Tempest reached him.
"Maybe when I'm done playing quidditch."
"I'm going with you."
"Sean, I told you that you don't need to come along."
"My arrant sister works for the Ministry there. I'll just visit for a while."
London...
Lee Jordan entered Weasleys Wizarding Wheezes and threw down a copy of the Daily Prophet that he had just picked up. "Oi, Ron, did you read this?"
Ron, who had stopped by with Harry Potter to get George for lunch looked at the paper in confusion. "No, not really. Why?"
"Cannons might actually come out with a win in one of their games next season."
He made a grab for the paper and read the article. "Will she be playing in her bikini?"
"Now, come on, Rayne is quite a player. She was signed with the Bombers at fifteen and was playing within a few months." Lee moved to the poster that still graced the wall of the workshop. "See her nose."
George looked at the poster. He had noticed her nose a while back. It gave her character and kept her from being too perfect. "I've noticed that."
"First time at bat professionally, refused a mediwitch and finished the game. She's a fighter."
"She's going to need to be if she's joining the Cannons." Harry replied as he looked over the article.
Ron frowned. "You don't think she got hurt and is heading to the Cannons because she needs the money."
"Inside sources say she took a rather large cut in pay." Lee replied. "I met her, when I was in the US for a bit a few years back."
"Really?" Ron looked at the poster. "What she like?"
"Full of life, that's the only way I can describe her and that doesn't do her justice at all."
Fitchburg...
"You're moving there to find him." Sunny announced as she snapped her fingers.
"Him?" Tempest frowned as she looked at her two younger sisters. The three of them were lazing by the magically charmed pool, watching Flynn, Hazel and Gabe splashing like little dolphins. Sunny and Stormi had shown up not long after Tempest and the kids. After the two wizards with her sisters gapped at her, they took the triplets into the pool. Tempest wasn't worried because she knew one of the two were muggle born and had been a lifeguard while at school with her sisters. He had announced it when the trio wanted to go into the pool.
"You know, their..." Stormi looked at the boys, "f-a-t-h-e-r."
"Father." Hazel piped up from beside her. Stormi jumped and Sunny laughed until Flynn dumped a bucked to water over her. Gave dumped one over Stormi as she laughed at her twin.
"Divide and conquer, very nice." Tempest gave them a nod before shooing them off.
"You encourage them to misbehave." Stormi grinned.
"What if they were yours?"
"They are." Tempest said, looking over at them. They waved to her and she waved back. "Their father is dead. Celeste told me that his name was on the list of casualties for the Battle at Hogwarts."
"Oh, Temmi." Sunny's eyes filled with tears.
"But he had a family and I think they should know Hazel, Flynn, and Gabe."
The girls nodded their agreement. "Off to England with you then."
"But," Sunny bit her lip. "how are you going to find them?"
"I haven't the slightest." Tempest sighed. "One step at a time, girls, one step." She hated to lie but she didn't feel as up to explaining to anyone that at the moment that she knew more about Celeste's Fred and his family than even her sister had known.
I hope that anyone who reads this will leave me a review, so I know that I should post the next chapter.
