Book: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Creator: J.K. Rowling
Author: Cheshire
"STAND MY GROUND"
Chapter Two: The Invitation
After an intense rehearsal, the Stewart sibling's sat against the mirrors wiping sweat from their faces as they instructor smiled, clapping her hands together for attention. "All right, everyone, this was a successful rehearsal and we are ready for our show on Saturday. Make sure to rest up tomorrow and be ready to meet here in the dressing rooms by 5pm. Do not be late! And that means you three." She said as she trailed her eyes over to Ashley, Scott and Conner who all grinned. "I can't have my leading dancers be fashionably late now can I? Dismissed!" The other students all moved back to their dance bags and started to strip their feet of their flats or pointes, Ashley doing the same. "Stewart." A voice said, the black haired girl turning around to see a red head twelve year old glaring down at her. "Mary." Ashley greeted and the older girl scoffed, placing her hands on her hips. "That's Meredith to you, only my friends get to call me Mary."
Ashley slowly nodded at the slight threat and Meredith crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes narrowing more at the younger dancer. "You better make sure that you don't mess up this weekend during the show, we don't need mistakes." She said and Ashley felt herself start to curl away from the older girl, not liking the confrontation. "I-I know..." She started, but the red head continued. "Luck must have been on your side for once this show seeing as you got Alice, but mark my words, anyone else in this company can dance that role." Ashley felt tears starting to form in her eyes as she tried to think of what to say, but it was then that Scott and Conner moved over to their sister. "Yo, Mary leave her alone." Conner started with a snarl, the red head taking a step back. "Yeah, just because you got the Queen of Hearts instead of Alice doesn't mean you have to take your frustration out on Ashley." Scott said, placing his hands on his sister's shoulders. "She deserved this part and you know it."
Meredith gasped and glared over at the two twins, the boys immediately glaring back. "Break it up you four." Their instructor said as she made her way over, not liking the way her dancers were acting. "Rehearsal is over and now is not the time for arguing, hurry home and rest before this weekend. I mean it." She said sternly and slowly all four nodded, the boys and Meredith still glaring at each other as they moved back to their dance bags. "Come on, Ashley." Scott said as he grabbed her hand, leading her over to her bag and grabbing it for her while Conner got her tennis shoes. "Don't let her get to you." He said softly, gently petting the top of her head. "She's just jealous."
"But why would she get jealous...?" Ashley muttered as she put on her jacket, flinching at the final glare Meredith got her when she left the room. "She got the Queen... That's a big role..." She asked, watching as her brother's both looked at one another. "Well... It's hard to explain." Scott started, his twin nodding in agreement. "But how is it hard to explain?" Ashley whined as the three left the studio, moving down the hall to the exit double doors. "Tell me!" With heavy sighs, the twins looked at one another again before her, Conner starting. "It's because she wanted Alice and not the queen." He started. "Meredith thinks that because she is older her technique is better than yours and she should have leads and not you." Scott said, Ashley scrunching her face at the news. "Meredith has had plenty of leads though..." She mumbled and the twins shrugged. "That doesn't matter, she wants all of them all the time."
"But..."
"Don't worry about it, Ash."
"Just let it go." With a sigh, the black haired girl nodded and the three hurried out of the building, spotting their mother's jaguar in front waiting. Once the three were inside, they all buckled themselves in and enjoyed the rest they were getting by not standing anymore. "How was rehearsal?" Samantha decided to ask as she took a left and leaded back to Magnolia Road, curious on her children's practice. "It was good! We all feel confident about Friday's show." Scott said proudly. "I can't wait to perform." Conner said with a grin, a small smile appearing on their mother's lips as she looked in the rear view mirror, noticing that her youngest was being quiet. "And you, Ashley?" She asked, causing the young female to jump in her seat. "How do you feel?"
"I..." Ashley started, stuttering her words as she tried not to think about what Meredith had said earlier. "I feel good too..." She finally said and Samantha arched an eyebrow at her daughter, looking over her shoulder when she pulled to a stop sign. "You do not sound confident in that answer." She stated and Ashley gulped, feeling nervous under her mother's stare. "One of the other dancers was bullying Ashley." Scott said, coming in to save his sister. "Hopkins was saying she didn't deserve the lead." Conner finished and Samantha hummed, starting to drive again when the light turned green. "Meredith Hopkins? That girl had gotten plenty of leads." Their mother said and the twins nodded with agreement. "That's what we said!"
"Do not let her words get to you, Ashley. You are a Stewart. And Stewart's work hard for what they get." Samantha said and Ashley's blue eyes widened at her mother's words. "You have worked hard, now don't let petty words bring that confidence down. Do you hear me?" She said and Ashley frantically nodded, the twins grinning over at their younger sister. Maybe she was starting to impress her mother now more and more. With a soft smile, the black haired female leaned back into the car seat and kicked her feet back and forth, her eyes widening with realization when she hit her dance bag. Curiosity began to dance across her eyes as she thought what could be inside the letter. How did it know she was under an apple tree? Why delivery by an owl? So many questions filled her mind as she reached to pull out the letter, but she was immediately interrupted when her mother made a sudden stop, causing the three siblings to jolt forward.
"What in the word?" Scott and Conner said as they peeked forward out the front window along with Ashley, all curious on why their mother had to stop so suddenly. Outside the car, they said a group of kids, probably around Ashley's age standing in the middle of the road, giving nasty looks to Samantha. "Watch where your goin'!" A plump child shouted as he gave a rude hand gesture to Samantha before walking off the road with his friends and into the neighborhood park. "Bloody hell! Stupid children!" Samantha shrieked, honking her horn at the group, causing the kids to jump up and scream in shock before running off like mice. "Use a cross walk!" The older woman shouted as she drove off, her window down so they could hear her shout; mumbling under her breath as she turned right and drove to the front gate of their mansion on the hill. "Not a smart bunch." Conner said to his brother, Scott nodding as they looked out the back window, smirking at the frightened males who were hiding under the slide until they knew the jaguar was gone.
"Their parents need to teach them some respect." Samantha huffed as she parked the car in front of the house next to her husbands, her children quickly climbing out with their dance bags. "Rest up. Your grandmother is preparing dinner early tonight." Their mother said as she locked her car, the three looking at her from the stone steps. "She and your grandfather and going to the theater tonight." She finished and the three nodded, knocking twice and smiling when the door was opened by one of their butler's, Spencer's grandfather and head of all the maids and butlers that worked for the Stewart's; Alphonse. "Welcome back." He greeted, gently shutting the door after Samantha was inside. "How was practice?" Alphonse asked as he took the twin's coats, both blondes happily grinning up at him. "It was fantastic! Prepared for this weekend!" They said and he chuckled, taking Ashley's coat next and putting it on the rack. "Alice in Wonderland this time around isn't it?" He asked and they nodded, the older man looking over at Ashley with a sly smile. "And our little Ashley is Alice?"
A light blush appeared on her cheeks as she looked at her feet, Alphonse's question being answer with her expression. "Ho ho. Spencer and I are excited to see your performance. Wouldn't miss it for the world." He said and she softly smiled up at him, her cheeks still a light pink. "Now hurry off, I think your grandmother has already started cooking. Maybe she left you some snacks." He said with a wink and the twin's eyes brightened, the two hurrying into the kitchen and leaving Ashley with Alphonse, the two laughing together at their eagerness for food. "Go on now, go eat with your brothers." Nodding, Ashley handed Alphonse her dance bag and watched as he placed it in the closest before walking down the hall and to the kitchen, watching as her brother's fought over a baguette of sourdough bread; their favorite. "I saw it first!" Scott shouted as he tugged, Conner narrowing his eyes and tugging back. "No! I did! Eat the apple!" He snapped and Scott gasped, offended. "I hate apples and you know it!" The two continued to bicker and Ashley rolled her eyes, moving over to the counter top and crawling up onto a chair, leaning her chin in her palms as she watched her grandmother's back.
"What are you making, grandma?" Ashley wondered and the older woman turned back with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron. "One of your favorites, my dear. We are celebrating your performance this weekend." She said and Ashley's eyes lit up, thinking of all the food that she loved. "We are having duck?" The black haired girl asked happily and Martha laughed, nodding her head at her granddaughter. "We are. Duck with potatoes, ham with pineapple and cherries, corn and green beans, casserole, a south western inspired salad and sourdough for the boys." She said, the two females watching as the baguette snapped in two from the force of the twins fighting and sent both falling backwards on the floor with loud thumps. "OW!" The two shouted from the floor and the two laughed, Martha shaking her head and moving back to check on the duck that sat in the oven.
"Those two, when it comes to bread they will never agree."
"That's right!" Scott said as he sat up, taking a bite of his piece. "Bread is the one thing that will come between us!" Conner said as he finished chewing his own piece, the two eagerly searching the room for more bread they could swipe. "No more until dinner you two." Martha said, checking the bottom of the double oven and looking at the cooking ham. "If I give you anymore you won't have room." She said the two groaned, sulking as they left the kitchen, Martha winking and handing Ashley a baguette of her own. "Don't let those two have it." She warned and Ashley nodded with a giggle, kissing her grandmother's cheek and hopping off her stool so that she could let her grandmother cook in peace; wondering what Spencer would be doing and if he wanted to play with her before they all sat down for dinner.
An hour later, Martha had finished dinner and the Stewart family, along with Spencer and Alphonse, sat under the chandelier of the large dining room, ready to eat. "Thank you for having us for dinner, Martha." Alphonse said with a smile and Martha scoffed, waving her hand at the man. "Of course! We are in celebration! I also went a little board with the food." She said with a blush and the table laughed, the twins both eyeing the bread with hunger. "Alright boys, two pieces only to start with first." Their father, Paul Stewart said with a slight smirk, pulling three pieces onto his own plate, the two gasping at their father. "Moderation my dear boys." He said and the two huffed, grabbing their pieces of bread and digging into the rest of the food along with the family and guests. "What are you going to see tonight, grandpa?" Ashley decided to ask as her mother cut her some pieces of duck, her grandfather, Charles, smiling at her question. "Ah, your grandmother and I are going to see 'Les Miserables', a classic and tragic story." He said as Alphonse smiled, putting a piece of ham on his plate. "I haven't seen it since it was here twenty years ago. You are lucky my friend."
"Indeed I am. I must thank Paul for the tickets, late birthday gift you know." He said and the two older men laughed, Paul grinning up at his father as he passed the potatoes to his daughter. "How are you feeling about tomorrow, Ash?" Paul asked, Ashley looking up at him with a green bean pressed between her lips. "Are you excited? It's your first lead." He said happily and she smiled softly at her father, Scott and Conner grinning from either side of her. "We can not wait!" They shouted and their father laughed, Ashley giggling and nodding in agreement with her brothers. "Oh dear! I almost forgot!" Martha said as she stood up from her chair, all eyes turning to her as she moved over to a side table next to the archway. "Love? What are you doing?" Charles asked as his wife pulled out a letter from the drawer. "This came in the mail today. It was addressed to the family." She said, sitting back in her chair. "Well, the youngest of the family." She said and Paul arched his brow, taking the letter from his mother. "It's from the Dersleys." He read off and Samantha coughed into her coffee cup, the twins snickering at their mother.
"What could they possibly want?" Samantha demanded as she wiped her chin, Paul opening the letter and staring at it with a bit of confusion. "It's an invitation to spend the day with their son, his birthday is tomorrow." He read off, handing the letter to his wife who ordered to see it. "A birthday?" Scott started, Conner finishing. "Tomorrow?" Paul nodded and looked down at what his age he was turning, his brown eyes moving over to his daughter. "He is turning eleven, tomorrow actually." He said and then smiled at Ashley. "Not much older than you, Ash. Maybe you can befriend him." Paul suggested and Samantha scoffed, placing his coffee cup next to her plate. "If he is a Dursley, then he must be as bad at his parents." She said, Martha gasping at her words. "Samantha! That is not a nice thing to say."
"But it's true and you know it." Samantha said, cutting up her ham. "Remember when the father came up to the door a few years ago and tried to befriend us while holding one of our prized sculptures behind his back? I haven't forgotten about that. Or when the mother tried to dig out some of our flowers we bloom for competitions." She continued and Martha sighed with defeat, remembering both incidents. "Yes, but that was years ago. Maybe they have changed?" The older woman offered and Samantha huffed, sipping her coffee. "Either way, I think it would be good for the children to attend the party." Paul said and the twins groaned. "No! He's turning eleven, dad! We are thirteen!" Scott said, Conner nodded. "Yeah so not cool, send Ashley!" He said and the black haired girl's eyes widened, not wanting to have to go alone. "N-no! B-but!" She started with a stutter and Paul chuckled, placing the letter in front of his daughter's plate. "Just think about it, love. No one is forcing you. We just think it would be nice."
"No more discussing." Samantha said as she stood up from her chair, taking her plate into her hands along with her coffee cup. "You and I will talk about this upstairs." She said sternly and Paul rolled his eyes with a smile, he knew how much his wife really did not like the Dersley family. "Alright, dear. I'll be up soon." He said and she narrowed her eyes at her husband, huffing before she left the living room and moved back into the kitchen. "What do you think, Ashley?" Alphonse asked, the youngest Stewart looking over at him. "Do you think it would be fun to attend a party?" He wondered and a small blush appeared on her pale skin, her eyes moving to her plate. "I... I don't know." She said truthfully, the twins looking down at their sister. "I don't know who this boy is, and mother doesn't seem to like him..."
"Don't let what your mother thinks stop you from having a good time." Paul said, smiling warmly at his daughter. "You are getting older and can make your own decisions. Who knows, you might become great friends. And you'll get to meet other kids in the neighborhood, wouldn't you like that?" He asked and Ashley thought it, realizing that she didn't really have any friends her age in the neighborhood, only the other dancers at her school that lived farther away. "Yes..." She mumbled softly with embarrassment and the three men laughed, Scott and Conner poking their sister's shoulders with smirks. "Little Ashy-kins is embarrassed!" They taunted and her blush grew redder on her cheeks, trying to hit her brother's away from her but they were too fast. "Leave her alone." Spencer said with a chuckle, watching the poor girl try to fight her brothers.
"Aw you're not fun, Spencer!"
"You always take Ashley's side!" The twins said as they stuck their tongues out at the older boy, who laughed at them. "Well of course! Then it is fair, two on two. I think we could take you." He said with a smirk and the twins grinned, liking his words. "Then we accept your challenge!" Scott said as he stood from his chair. "Let the battle begin!" Conner shouted as he pumped his fist into the air, both twins vanishing from the room with their plates while Spencer rolled his eyes, his grandfather laughing and patting his shoulder. "Well, it's getting late. Martha, we should hurry if we don't want to be late." Charles said as he helped his wife stand, the older woman nodding. "I agree. Good night, Paul, Alphonse. We will be home later in the night. Spencer, watch Ashley and make sure the twins don't get to her." She said with a wink and Spencer saluted her, the old couple laughing as they left the room, a maid coming to take their plates.
"Come along, Ash. Let's go watch a movie." Spencer offered and Ashley smiled, allowing the maid to take her plate as she slid out from her chair. "We can watch whatever you want." He said and she giggled, waving good bye to her father and Alphonse before disappearing with her friend, Paul chuckling at his daughter. "Always so full of energy." Alphonse commented and Paul agreed, thanking the maid after she took his plate. "She is. Can't believe she is going to be eleven next month." He said and Alphonse nodded, folding his hands under his chin as he looked at the Stewart male. "...When do you plan to tell her?" He wondered, Paul's eyes darkening slightly, knowing exactly what he was going at. "I don't know. Samantha thinks we should tell her on her birthday, she deserves to know that she was adopted." He said and the older man nodded. "It is better that she learns now and doesn't find out on her own. What would she think then?" He said and Paul sighed, knowing he was right. "Soon, but right now, I'd just like her to have fun and make some new friends." Alphonse nodded and stood up from his chair, Paul following suit. "Just remember you won't be telling her alone." He said and Paul smiled, rubbing the older man's shoulder and leaving the room with him. Knowing that his daughter deserved the truth about her birth.
End of 'Chapter Two: 'The Invitation'
Next... 'Chapter Three: 'Friend at the Zoo'
Here we are, chapter three! Sorry that it had taken me so so long to update this story! Life had gotten in the way and I apologize for my lack in updating in the past. But now I have the time and uploading chapters has commenced with all my other stories as well! I also wanted to thank .3 (for some reason it keeps deleting your name every time I save this! So sorry!) for the review of the last chapter! Your comment was very sweet and I am glad that you enjoyed what you read so far. I can't wait to hear what you think about this chapter and all that comes next. Thank you again! Hope you all enjoyed the chapter. Please comment and review!