A/F: So, I've been thinking of a fic I could do after this one was done, you know to keep whatever people actually read my stuff happy. And I came up with a really good idea after watching a trashy movie on Netflix! You will have a fic after this! I'm thinking right now, it'll be a Dominique fic because you don't see much of her and I think it'll be really fun. Read on my sweet followers and feel free to send me some love (even if you are annoyed by me asking you to).

XOXO,
Emmie Rose

"Sorry! Sorry! I know, I said I'd be here early to meet you guys but we overslept." Kaylie exclaimed, as soon as she spun into the room. James and I were lounging on the floor building a house out of exploding snap cards.

"Don't worry, Kaylie. It's still only eleven," James snorted, carefully stacking the cards. Kaylie sighed and flicked her long loose braid over her shoulder as she began to dust herself off. I blinked when I noticed her neck. James' mouth was open as well. He jumped up, causing the house of cards to explode.

"What? Is there soot on my face?" Kaylie questioned, using the heel of her hand to wipe her cheeks.

"No, more like something on your neck. Did you go off and snog some random guy last night?" I exclaimed, walking over and grabbing Kaylie's chin so I could look at the purple and burgundy smudge under her ear. She swatted my hand away and brought her long hair back over her shoulder with a small blush.

"I didn't snog some random guy…" she concluded, beginning to brush off her suitcase.

"So we know him? I'm going to send him to St. Mungo's," James put in.

"Who is it?" I questioned harshly.

"Oh will you two just calm down! Like you haven't given them to your own girlfriends!" she exclaimed, picking up her suitcase and going towards her room. James and I looked at each other and started after her.

"That's beside the point!" I shouted as she threw her suitcase onto her bed. She turned to me and put her hands on her hips.

"It doesn't matter who I was kissing anyways because you two don't have any say in who I kiss," she declared, holding her hands up to us.

"Just tell us who it was. Was it Louis?" James questioned.

"Louis?"

"He was coming on to you at Christmas lunch," James replied.

"It wasn't Louis okay…he's basically family," she sighed, unzipping her suitcase and emptying it into a laundry basket. She hoisted it up and started for the laundry room in the basement, closely followed by me and James.

"Was it Trevor? He was there you know," I suggested.

"Trevor was there? I didn't even know," she remarked, starting to separate her clothes.

"Was it one of Teddy's mates?" James demanded.

"It was Luke! Alright? It was Luke!" She announced, throwing her hands up in the air. James and I froze.

"Did he give you that by force?" James questioned slowly.

"No, of course not," she exclaimed, roughly tapping the washer with her wand and setting it running. "I forgave him."

"You forgave him?" I questioned.

"What did I just say, Kent? He begged me, practically got on his hands and knees, and explained it all. I'm not trusting him completely yet, but yes I took him back," she explained, "Oh Merlin, why didn't I check a bloody mirror before I left? Would've saved me loads of trouble."

"Just like that?" James questioned hesitantly.

"Yes, just like that. Kent, go get your laundry," she commanded. I started to protest but she gave me such a look that I snapped my mouth shut. I turned on my heel and stalked to my own suitcase, gathering my dirty clothes in my arms.

"I don't like this. You didn't hear the way he spoke to her that night," James hissed.

"James, I don't like it either! What am I supposed to do about it?" I sighed, taking the pile and stuffing it into a laundry basket.

"I don't know," James admitted.

"Look, you and I both know that anything we demand her to do she will do the opposite just to prove us wrong. Shall I bring up the broom incident from earlier this year?"

"Yeah, I know…she just makes it so difficult to protect her," James whispered back, grabbing one handle to the laundry basket. I grabbed the other and flicked some hair out of my eyes.

"Tell me about it. How am I supposed to do what my dad asked me to when she makes it so damn difficult all the time," I groaned, tipping the dirty clothes down the laundry chute. James turned to me and looked hesitantly at the door that leads down to the basement.

"Look, I've been thinking…" he started. I gave him a weary look.

"That's not good. Whenever you say things like that, we end up in trouble," I sighed, storing the laundry basket in the cupboard.

"No, really…take me seriously, mate," James declared. I crossed my arms and looked at him, giving my best mate the benefit of the doubt.

"I think we need to find out the means of the project your parents were working on." He stated.

"James, they're called Unspeakables for a reason. There's no way we're going to find out anything about that project," I sighed.

"But maybe we can figure out a description of the attacker or something! I don't know! We're here, you're Mum's office is right there," James announced, pointing to the heavy wooden door.

"It's locked. How are we going to get it open? Starting a washer is one thing, but the trace will go crazy as soon as we use Alohomora," I sighed.

"All we need is someone over seventeen to do the magic," James sighed, holding up a hand and dashing back to the living room. There was the roar of the fire a second later and Victorie came running in followed by James.

"What's the emergency?" She questioned.

"There isn't really any…we really just need you to open the door," James admitted. Victorie turned on him with a mutinous look on her face.

"You scared the living day lights out of me because you wanted me to unlock a door?" she exclaimed.

"Not just any door! This might help Kent and Kaylie," James groaned. Victorie looked at the door and then back at us.

"No way. Not going to happen. I am not going to break into your Mum's office for you," she declared.

"We just need someone to do the magic for us. Please Vic," I begged, pouting a bit.

"Even if I do it, do you honestly think that a simple alohomora is going to open the door?"

"It's not going to open. Mum's set it to a password," Kaylie sighed behind us, toting a basket of clean clothes.

"A password? Really?" James sighed.

"Yes, and if you get it wrong an alarm goes off, notifying her at the Ministry. There will be more Aurors surrounding our house then you can count," Kaylie finished, setting down the basket and crossing her arms over her chest.

"So…do you know the password?" James questioned hopefully.

"Depends on why you want to get in there," Kaylie replied, handing me a pile of laundered robes. I walked to my doorway and chucked them on the bed before turning back to Kaylie.

"We want to find out more on that project," I announced carefully.

"Well that's a disaster waiting to happen," Victorie snorted.

"Why shouldn't you guys know about it? I feel you have a right to," James replied with a small shrug. "If you knew what you were protecting yourself against it would be better for you, right?"

"You wouldn't go into a duel without knowing proper defensive spells," I put in, smiling broadly. Kaylie and Victorie looked at each other briefly.

"I thought you weren't under any threat," Victorie questioned quietly.

"We may not be in any threat, but if you found out that you were the reason your dad was killed wouldn't you want to know the terms?" I countered. Victorie sighed and looked at Kaylie. James raised his eyebrows at her and she threw up her hands.

"Fine…but we're figuring out this password first," she exclaimed. James and I high fived and I pulled a piece of parchment off my desk and a quill before leading the way into the kitchen.

"It's about Dad," Kaylie announced suddenly.

"How do you know that?" I questioned. Kaylie looked at her fingers and shrugged.

"I heard her narrowing down the list after a nightmare last summer," she admitted, taking the quill from me. She began to jot down a couple things but stopped suddenly.

"I remember what she decided on," she stated, idly circling something on her parchment. James and Victorie looked at her expectantly. Kaylie pushed back from the table and practically ran from the room. I quickly stood up and followed, knowing before I set my foot down, where she was going. I pushed into my parents' room and pulled open the closet door. Right after he died, this was where she went. She was curled up in a ball where Dad kept his sweatshirts and jumpers. She had one of his more ragged ones pressed to her nose.

"It's Kaylie-Kat and Kenny-Boy," she whispered, sniffing deeply. I crawled in and squished myself next to her. She rested her head on my shoulder and let out a rather deep sigh.

"Well that's rather obvious. Nobody knows about those names but you, me, Mum and Dad and maybe James," I replied, slipping my arms around my sister's shoulders. I felt my chest restrict and tears spring to my eyes. Kaylie buried her face in my shoulder.

"I just want us to be a family again. I want Mum to launder our clothes for school. I want Dad to come watch Quidditch with us. Most of all, I want to stop feeling so sad," she whispered. "Why can't she just see that we need her more than the Department of Mysteries does?"

I felt the first tear slip down my cheek and into Kaylie's hair. I bit my lip and tried to quell the flow.

"It's okay to cry, Kent. I do it before I go to sleep sometimes," Kaylie hiccupped.

"I can't, I have to be strong for you. For us," I declared. Kaylie fumbled around and grabbed my hand in the dark.

"Kent, let's just be weak together right now," she whispered, letting out a muffled sob into my shoulder.

"Kaylie, we don't need Mum. We don't need her to help us. We've got each other," I declared, squeezing her tight. She nodded, her body wracking with sobs as she attempted to inhale every last scent of our father off of the sweatshirt.

ӿӿJamesӿӿ

Victorie and I watched Kent go after Kaylie before pulling the parchment towards me. There were two words circled shakily. I groaned. No wonder she got so worked up.

"It's Kaylie-Kat and Kenny-Boy. No one calls Kent 'Kenny' except his dad," I whispered, jabbing a finger at the paper. Victorie looked torn.

"Don't you see why I need to get some answers for them? There's only so much longer they can put up a brick wall," I explained.

"I knew you were the mastermind behind this James. At least you're heart is in the right place," Victorie sighed.

"I just want to help them," I stated. Victorie fingered the parchment and stood up.

"C'mon, let's go see what we can find," she sighed. I jumped up and followed her to the oak door. Victorie sighed and tapped her wand against the knob. It grew red and script appeared on the face of the door.

"Speak the words now," I whispered, looking at Victorie who cleared her voice.

"Kaylie-Kat and Kenny-Boy," she choked out. The knob turned blue and Victorie twisted it. The door opened with a click. Victorie and I exchanged looks and hesitantly stepped into the office. It was a lot brighter and cheerier then I expected, like the rest of the house. Three of the four walls contained books. Victorie ran her fingers across their spines and mouthed the titles.

"These are a lot different than their library. James, some of these books contain rather difficult magic," she announced, gently tugging one off the shelf and letting it fall open in her palms. She walked around the room, idly flipping the pages as I made a beeline for the desk. I pulled open the center drawer and began to rifle through the pages, looking for any hint of projects or large cases. Words that were duplicated jumped up at me as I carefully took them in. I placed the papers back exactly like they were and opened another drawer. A small leather bound book lay alone in the drawer. I gently took it out and flipped it in my hands. The initials JGS were emblazed onto the front cover.

"Vic, this was their dads!" I exclaimed, settling into the chair and opening the pages. They were completely blank.

"Maybe it needs a password?" Victorie suggested, leaning over my shoulder.

"It can't be the same as the door," I remarked.

"Well, we both know that Kay and Kent were the most important things in their dad's life, as much as they deny it and say otherwise," Victorie sighed.

"That could mean anything," I groaned.

"No…think of everything they've told you."

"He gardened with Kaylie and played Quidditch with Kent," I answered.

"That poem! What did he call her?" Victorie exclaimed suddenly. "Nobody would know that."

"His little Mary contrary," I whispered. The book suddenly glowed gold and when it faded silver words were sprawled across the page. I looked wide eyed at Victorie and she picked up the book from my hands.

"This was too easy Vic, knowing all these passwords. If it's this easy for us, how would it not be easy for someone else to get in here?"

"Because we know the answers, James. Nobody knows Kaylie and Kent like you do," Victorie smiled, rustling the pages and perching herself on the edge of the desk. She began to flip through the pages slowly.

"James, this is the entry for when Kaylie and Kent were born. He's so proud. He said that he couldn't ask for anything better in life," Victorie exclaimed, "But oh no…he realizes how dangerous his job is and he's ashamed bringing such innocent beings into a family of danger. But he'll always protect them, he writes, always as if his own life depended on it. Oh that's so beautiful."

She flipped through the pages some more and stopped somewhere in the middle.

"James, this was dated two years ago. This has got to have something in it," she gasped. I stood up and hovered over the book, trying to make out the words upside down.

"He says he's scared, James, scared that this could threaten his family…but what is the threat?"

"Do you think he'd actually say what the project is? Wouldn't that be a huge risk?"

"He might not say what it is exactly, but it could give us a clue," Victorie sighed. "Look, he mentions something about doing the impossible because it messes with time and fate itself. He said things like that in earlier entries."

"What could that mean?"

"I don't know exactly," she replied, "but it's got to mean something."

"He's talking about life," a voice piped up. Victorie and I jumped a foot in the air. Kaylie and Kent stood in the doorway, both of them looked more worn then anything.

"Oh goodness, you scared the living daylights out of me. I thought we were caught for sure," Victorie breathed out, placing a hand over her heart.

"Sorry, we didn't mean to," Kaylie replied, giving us a watery smile and coming into the room. She walked over and gasped when she saw what Victorie was holding.

"Kent, it's his journal!" she exclaimed, taking it from Vic and holding it to her chest for a second.

"He wrote in that every night by the fire," Kent recalled, smiling slightly.

"What were you saying about him talking about life?" I questioned, pointing to the words that Victorie was reading.

"He always said life was built on time and love with a pinch of fate. But I don't know what exactly could mess with that," Kent declared.

"Well death sure throws the bludger into life," I stated. Kaylie gaped at me.

"What?"

"That's it James! You've figured it out! He's talking about messing around with death!" Kaylie exclaimed, smacking me repeatedly on the arm.

"Oi! Do you have to hit me?" I exclaimed.

"Okay, so the project is about life and death. That's it," Kent denounced, taking the book and looking at the clock.

"Mum said she'd be back to have dinner with us around six, it's nearing that now," he sighed.

"But what does life and death have anything to do with anything," I announced.

"It could be a weapon? To cause death or maybe avoid it," Victorie suggested.

"Is there such thing?" Kaylie snorted.

"That's what their job is for," I shrugged, looking to see if the room was still right as it was when we entered. I took the book from Kent's hands and placed it precisely in the center of the drawer.

"I should probably go," Victorie sighed, "my parents will be worried. I said I'd only be gone for a few hours."

She slid off the desk and pulled Kaylie into a huge hug before giving Kent a brief kiss on the cheek.

"See you lot on the train tomorrow," she declared, making her way out of the office. We heard the roar of the fire moments after. I looked at Kent and Kaylie intently. They both looked positively exhausted.

"Would you two like help packing? You look a bit peaky," I suggested. Kaylie shook her head and pursed her lips.

"No, you're trunk is in a worse state then ours. Go home, we'll see you at Kings Cross tomorrow, yeah?" She replied. I shrugged and shut the door behind us. The knob glowed red briefly before the twins escorted me to the fireplace.

"We know more than we did before," I stated. Kent smiled at me and nodded.

"Thanks, James, really," he stated quietly.

"Well, what kind of best mate would I be if I didn't help you snoop into your own parents' artifacts," I laughed. Kaylie let out a small giggle and plopped onto the couch.

"I can't imagine the trouble we would be in if anyone ever found out about this afternoon," she declared.

"More than the time we put a no-heat wet start firecracker in Professor Vector's private toilet?" Kent questioned, bursting out laughing.

"I forgot about that! Merlin, if I just didn't drop that scrap of parchment we would've gotten away with the best prank in Hogwarts history," I sighed.

"I'm sure your Uncle has done better, but it was pretty good," Kaylie admitted, giving another giggle.

"Are you sure you won't stay for dinner?" Kent questioned.

"Are you kidding me? Lily would kill me if I didn't spend my last night with her," I remarked with a small smirk. I stooped down and gave Kaylie a peck on the forehead and clapped Kent on the shoulder as I reached for the floo powder. The fire turned green before I could even set foot in it and Victorie popped out again. She pulled a tube out of her pocket and handed it to Kaylie.

"Just put that on your neck, it'll go away in a spiff," she giggled, taking a pinch of powder and returning back through the flames. Kent and I looked at Kaylie who blushed.

"I forgot about that! Don't think we're done talking to you about him," I remarked, throwing my powder into the flames. I just heard her shouting after me as I began to spin away.

"Bugger off James! Nothing you say to me about him will change my mind!"

ӿӿKaylieӿӿ

"Oh, there you are! Have you two eaten? Are you all packed?" Mum declared as she bustled into my bedroom. I sat up groggily and rubbed my temples. After James left Kent and I set to packing our trunks in my room, but at some point had both fallen asleep. All the crying and new information that I gained had given me a splitting headache. I felt as if someone had cleaved my head in two with an ax.

"What you see is what's packed, Mum," Kent yawned, sitting up.

"Have a nice day, then?" Mum questioned, leaning against the doorjamb. She walked in a couple seconds later and surveyed our neat piles. Without us asking she began to load my trunk to my specifications.

"It was alright. Victorie and James were over for a while, but went home for supper. We thought you would be home earlier," Kent replied, loading his own trunk. I looked at my watch. It was running on nine. She was three hours late. The light of the room was pressing against my eyeballs, making my head throb. I flopped back on my bed and pulled a pillow over my face to block the pain from traveling through my head.

"I know dear, I'm very sorry. I got caught up at the office. But we can have a nice warm supper now and I'm taking you to the train tomorrow," Mum sighed, closing my trunk and locking it with the tap of her wand. The weight shifted on the bed and I felt Mum's fingers combing through my hair.

"Are you alright pet?" she questioned.

"I've got a headache that I'm not too keen on at the moment," I sighed.

"Oh, well I believe I've got a headache potion down in the kitchen cupboard. I'll just kip down there and grab it for you, dear. Shall I make some sandwiches? We can eat it up here," Mum suggested. Kent shrugged and continued to pack his trunk. She sighed and quickly left the room. We could hear banging in the kitchen beyond.

"I actually don't care for once that she's so late. I needed that nap," I sighed from beneath my pillow.

"I care…I laid away that whole time, while you slept. I couldn't stop my brain," Kent replied, flopping over my legs.

"Geroff, Kent, you're hurting me," I moaned. Kent shifted but squeezed my foot.

"I was hardly touching you Kay," he laughed.

"I just ache, that's all," I sighed, shutting my eyes again. I heard Mum bustle back into the room.

"Here, Kaylie, darling," she announced, removing the pillow from over my eyes. I cringed against the light, but sat up against my headboard. Mum was levitating a tray laden with tea and sandwiches and a small vial of dark green potion. She hovered the tray onto the bed and uncorked the potion, holding it out to me.

"One gulp now," she ordered. I threw back the potion and cringed. It tasted like Kent's socks smelt after Quidditch.

"Here have some tea now," Mum suggested, handing me a mug. I sipped the brew and eyed her critically. She was wearing the necklace I got her for Christmas and the jumper Kent purchased her.

"Tell me about your holiday. Did you have a nice time with the Potters?"

"Yes it was lovely," I remarked stiffly.

"Lily was excited to have us again," Kent added.

"I'm sure she was. She's a very sweet girl," Mum replied, handing Kent a sandwich.

"Kaylie got me that broomstick kit I had my eye on. And a mug," Kent mumbled through his mouth full of chicken and ham.

"I didn't know you wanted a broomstick kit, dear! I would've gotten that for you instead of that new coat," Mum exclaimed. Kent shrugged and concentrated on his tea.

"I needed that coat too Mum. I liked it very much, thank you," Kent replied hurriedly.

I felt the potion take its effects and all I wanted to do was sleep rather then make idle chit-chat with my mother.

"Why'd you get your brother a mug," Mum questioned, picking up a brush from my bedside table and beginning to comb out my long locks.

"It was sort of a joke I guess. It says 'World's Best Brother' on it," I shrugged, closing my eyes as she brush gently raked through my hair.

"The funny thing was I got Kay the same thing and a leather bound journal because her old one was practically filled," Kent piped up. "It had her initials on it, just like Dad's journal did."

Mum stopped brushing for a split second before restarting again.

"I didn't know you kept a journal," Mum sighed.

"I've kept a journal ever since Dad died, Mum."

"Oh well that's a very proper outlet. I'm very happy for you, dear," Mum answered, her voice catching slightly.

"We never got to really talk about that conversation you had with Mr. Potter," she stated finally. "Would you like to ask me anything?"

"Why didn't you or Dad stop the project as soon as you knew we were threatened?" I asked right away. Kent gaped at me.

"It wasn't that simple Kay…" Mum sighed.

"But it is. There were plenty of other projects you could've worked on. Was it so important that it was worth putting your kids in danger?"

"Kaylie, sweetheart, we were so deep within the project at that point that it would've been impossible to back out. So your father and I took every measure we could to keep you safe."

"But you didn't keep us safe. What happened to us was far worse than getting taken. Mum, we lost everything that night. Do you know what it's like to watch someone die?" I exclaimed, my voice catching again. Mum stopped brushing again and she took in a sharp intake of breath.

"I can't imagine, Kaylie. I know how traumatic it was for you two. I take it with me every single day, that guilt. But I wish you two could see that you didn't just lose your father that night, I lose my husband," Mum replied calmly.

"Mum we know you lost your husband…but don't you understand that sometimes we feel like we've lost a mother as well that night," Kent whispered. Mum stared at us. I set my tea on my bedside table and pulled back my covers so I could burrow underneath them.

"What do you mean, darling? I'm right here," Mum exclaimed.

"No you're not. Not really," I sighed into my pillow. "You're more of an Unspeakable then a mother lately."

"Kaylie Michelle Scott! I'm your mother, please don't speak to me in that tone," she remarked.

"I'm sorry Mum. I didn't mean to use that tone with you. I'm just going to go to sleep, yeah? I'm really tired," I stated quietly.

"Of course, that's a good idea. We all have to get up early tomorrow. Let's get you to bed, Kenneth," she replied stiffly.

"Sure, Mum…night Kaylie-Kat," Kent declared, patting me on the leg and sliding off the bed.

"Night Kenny-Boy," I replied, smiling into my pillow. I heard another small intake of breath from my Mum. It wasn't until after she left that I realized she would think of it as us figuring out the password, but in reality it was just Kent and I showing our solidarity to each other.