A/N: I don't own this story, all the rights goes to the amazing author; J.K. Rowling, whom I admire a lot.
Year one.
Chapter 10. Summer vacation. Part 3.
The Morning After.
When morning came, the house was still quiet. I was laying on my back while listening to all the different sounds the house was making. I quietly got up, out of bed and out of my room. I was wearing my robe. I tiptoed down the stairs and into the kitchen where I found my boots, after putting them on I went outside in the fresh morning air. I looked for the sun and saw that I wasn't the only one awake.
"Good morning." I whispered as I moved silently towards Scorpius. "You're up early?"
"I just came down. You're up early yourself." He didn't turn to look at me, but kept gazing towards the sun.
"I have always been a morning person… I love to breath in the fresh air and listen to the world waking up." I let out a satisfied sigh.
"Well I just like the silence." He said abruptly. I looked up at him, but his face was turned away from me and I couldn't see his expression.
"Have I done something to offend you?" I asked confused.
"No."
"Then why are you irritated?"
"I'm not such thing. I just like some peace and quiet in the morning."
"Then you shall have it." I told him, turned around and stomped in.
"Good morning." My mother greeted me when she finally woke up.
"I'm hungry." I replied a bit rude.
"Who pissed you off this early?" she looked at me with big eyes, an expression I reciprocated.
"Mom! Your language?"
"What about it?" I looked at her with big eyes?
"Never mind." I didn't feel like lecturing my mom this early in the morning. Especially cause I new that she didn't like it.
"So who was it?"
"I think it was me?" Scorpius answered my mom from the door.
"Oh… well good morning Scorpius." She smiled at him. "I'm going to make breakfast now." she walked to her stoves, leaving me alone with Scorpius.
"Lily… I'm sorry if I sounded annoyed at you out there. It's actually your brother and Larkin's fault." He looked shamefully at his feet.
"What did they do now?"
"Nothing. It wasn't something they did, its more something they said."
"And what did they say?"
"Well… I can't tell you that… actually…" He said.
"Why not?"
"Because I promised them. Either way… I just wanted to apologies to you. It wasn't fair of me to let my irritation, towards those to, out on you." He gave me a little uncertain smile.
"Well… Since you did apologies, I can't see any reason to why I should be mad at you." I smiled at him.
After preparing breakfast my mother had to leave early, she had an early practise section with her team, leaving us all by our self. The atmosphere was tense under breakfast. When Alana and Maggie came down they reminded me of what had happened in the evening. When Albus came down, a flood of emotions ran through him. He gave Maggie a little shy smile that lingered in the corner of his mouth, he turned his head away in shame when I caught his eyes, but when he looked at Alana I could detect some sadness or disopponent, but mostly he just looked out of place, like he didn't knew where to put himself. Larkin on the other hand, had only one emotion, he was annoyed.
When James finally came down he could feel the tension, he observed all the people in the room; Albus with the many feelings flowing by, Larkin whom was on the edge of anger, Scorpius whom behaved passive almost ignorant and us three girls whom had to use a lot of force for keeping our self from laughing. James got confused and decided that it was better for him, not to know anything.
While we were eating Alana suddenly decided that it was getting bored, and made up a plan to get some last excitement before leaving at noon. She started to whisper at Maggie. Maggie glanced at Albus and made a very convincing giggle. Albus looked down at his plate with tomato red ears. Which made Maggie giggle even more.
"So… Lily…" Alana looked at me with a devilish smile. "What did Ipswich tell you in his last letter?" a strange noise came from Larkin but I ignored it.
"Marvin? Oh you know…" I said and then whispered something none related in her ears, her respond were more giggling and big eyes.
"Really?" she asked mystically. I nodded shyly.
"Can we please get some silence while we're eating? I'm didn't order giggling to my eggs." Larkin said angrily.
"Woaw! Who pissed on your eggs?" James asked in shock.
"The giggling did, it's an evil laughter. An evil and magical laughter." He gloomed at James. I looked at Alana and we burst into laughter, which Maggie joined.
"What's so funny?" James asked even more confused. We looked at each other, Alana nodded at me, signalling that I should be the one too explain.
"Well you see big brother… yesterday after you went to bed, some of us stayed up to talk…" I began, Alana sat comfortable, smirking at the boys. "Then suddenly we… Alana, Maggie and I… heard some whispering from outside my door." I took a theatrical deep breath, in the mean while both Larkin and Albus had gotten pale. "Can you believe who it was?"
"No?" James said bewildered. "Who?" I looked at Albus and then at Larkin and a light lit up in James expression. "Oh… of course… continue please." He said with a big grin on his face.
"Well… when we heard that the boys were listening in on us, which of course is totally unacceptable… we decided to joke with them instead of yelling at them… we thought it would be a better punishment for listening to our private conversation." Albus turned even paler as I continued my speech.
"Continue." James said excitingly.
"Well we decided to tell them about our romance… you know who we're in love with." James started to laugh.
"Genius." He said.
"So it was all just a lie?" It came from Scorpius, I looked surprised at him. I didn't know that he knew about it. And a little voice whispered in my head, that maybe that's why he was annoyed. But then came my second voice, telling me that, it was just stupid assumptions.
"Well, I really do like Marvin and we really do write too each other. But I'm not interested in him in a romantic way." I shrugged.
"And I'm definitely not in love with that Quidditch player. I've already forgotten about his name." Alana laughed.
"And what about you?" Albus asked Maggie, still a bit shy.
"I'm sorry… Alana told me to pick either of you, to freak you out. And I knew that you were the easiest to freak out." She explained.
"Oh…" He responded.
"Are you disappointed?" James asked with a smirk.
"No. Not to offend you Maggie, but I'm kind of relieved."
"And how wouldn't that offend her?" Alana asked.
"Well… it would have been a little awkward, you know with me not being in love with her and all."
"I'm not offended. If I were, that would mean that I were in love with you. And if I have to be honest. I really don't know what love is at this moment?" Maggie shrugged.
"Yeah me to." I admitted. "Well I do know the kind of love there is between friends and family. But not the other kind… how is it Albus?"
"What? Why are you asking me?"
"Because you're the only one with a girlfriend at this moment." I reminded him.
"Oh… yeah… that's right."
"Soo?"
"Well… there isn't much to tell… to be frank I don't want to tell you kids!"
"Oh you're soo grown up." Alana hissed.
"Now now kids. Lets enjoy the meal." James bugged in with a fatherly tone, making us laugh at him.
In the afternoon we had to say our goodbyes. We all stood around the chimney.
"Well… it was nice to see you all again. Fortunately the vacation is almost over." Maggie said after giving each of us a hug.
"Safe trip." I waved at her as she stepped into the chimney and disappeared. It was Larkin's turn after Maggie, then Alana and then Scorpius.
…
Uncle Dudley:
"Are you sure that Maggie don't feel anything for me?" Albus asked for the seventh time since they left, I was in the middle of a game with James, and it didn't look good for me. I had been in the lead until Albus came and asked me about the girls for who knows time.
"Yes." I answered annoyed.
"But she couldn't have been that good of an actress… could she?"
"She weren't! You were just too dumb to see through it." I hissed at him. "Now leave me alone!"
James let out a silent laugh.
"So Alana isn't in love with that Dash Trinman?..."
"NO!"
"You don't have to get that angry! I'm just asking you a question."
"And how many times have you been asking me that same question?" I looked at him, angry.
"I just want to make sure." He looked down.
"If you're really that concerned about weather Alana like some guy or not, you should break up with your girlfriend and tell Alana what you feel about her!" I hissed.
"What? I don't feel anything for Alana." Albus answered in shock.
"Of course you do. It's so obvious. Now go away, I want to finish my game with James without further distraction, you're making me loose."
"Fine!" he stomped away "Stupid sister with her stupid game!"
We were sitting in the living room when it knocked on the door, I went to open it, I had just grabbed the doorknob when I heard my fathers voice from the chimney behind me.
"Are they hear yet?" he asked, I opened the door and Dudley was smiling at me, I turned around to look at my father.
"Yes. They're here." My father walked over to his cousin and greeted him with a handshake.
"Dudley, welcome." He smiled.
"Thanks cousin." Dudley responded with a great smile. Aunt Melrose Dudley's wife came in right behind him. She was a tall and beautiful woman with long dark, curly hair, brown eyes and a big smile with perfectly white teeth.
"Lily my dear. You have grown." She said enthusiastically, giving me a big tight hug.
"Good evening aunt Melrose." She loved it when I called her aunt, and I was rewarded with another tight hug.
"And were is your brothers?"
"In the living room, with my mother."
"Perfect." She answered and walked into the living room.
"Is James home?" I heard Clara ask from behind, Clara was Dudley's oldest daughter and she was about the same age as James. Clara was as beautiful as her mother, she had her mother's dark hair and brown eyes, but her hair was flat and smooth.
"Of course." I smiled at her. She gave me a quick hug before she disappeared into the living room.
"Always in a hurry to see your brother." Daniel stated.
"Welcome." I smiled at him, he returned my smile and went to give my father a handshake; my father gave him a hug, ignoring his hand. Daniel was always polite towards everyone, even those he didn't like. He had inherited his fathers looks, with his blond hair and blue eyes he looked almost exactly as his father, not the way his father had looked when he was a child, but the way he looked now, always happy, muscular and tall. Well Daniel wasn't muscular; he was only a few month older than me. But he was bright, and I enjoyed having conversations with him.
I followed Daniel into the living room. James and Clara had already disappeared too his room.
"Lily." Daniel called at me.
"What?"
"Did you know that Hitler was in the First World War as well, you know the great muggle war?"
"You mean the Great war? Yeah I knew that." I smiled at him.
"Damn it." Daniel always tried to find some muggle knowledge that he hoped I wouldn't know about.
"But did you know that the English men buried the Red Baron like a hero, after his dead?"
"What? But weren't the Red Baron their enemy?"
"Yes he was." I smiled.
"Then why did they bury him like a hero?"
"Well…"
"That's great kids, but I need your help in the kitchen Lily, you can talk about war after dinner." My mother interrupted me.
"Is there anything I can do to help?" Aunt Melrose asked politely.
"It's sweet of you to ask, but we can manage by our own." My mother smiled.
While making dinner, my father and uncle Dudley was walking around in the garden, talking. I could see them from our kitchen window.
"It's a good thing that its still summer or else they couldn't see a thing out there." My mother smiled at me.
"Mom… why aren't you using magic to finish the dinner?"
"Because honey… They are muggles, and we need to respect that they aren't accustomed to magic."
"But they aren't even out here."
"I know, but if they open the door while the knife is cutting by itself, they would get a heart attack."
"Don't you think that they're already used to the idea of us using magic?"
"I don't want to take that chance."
"Yes you would, you just want to make dinner from scratch like muggles, cause you think that they'd think of the preparations as something you just easily did without any struggles. And you're afraid that they wouldn't enjoy dinner as much if you used magic." I smiled knowingly.
"How come I've got such a clever daughter?" She smiled at me.
"It's in the blood." We laughed.
At dinner I was sitting between Albus and Daniel. We were all enjoying the great dinner that my mum and I had worked very hard to make. We made mash potatoes, roasted chicken, peas and some delicious gravy, based on the juice from the chicken. We had a rule at our place when it came to mash potatoes; if we were on second plate, we were aloud to play with the mashed potatoes, but the food had to stay on the plate. Albus used to form a human and then make them drown in the gravy. James sometimes used his fork to make rails in his potatoes and then he poured gravy next to the rails so it looked like a lake or the ocean and the peas was little threes or grass. It was quite funny, but the Dursley's didn't understand the humor. Daniel was almost dead of laughter when Albus made his potatoes look like his father, Uncle Dudley didn't think it was funny at all though, so my father scolded at Albus.
"It's very delicious Ginny." Aunt Melrose tried to make the atmosphere a little lighter. "You must give me the recipe."
"Of course. It's a very simple dish though." My mother smiled appreciatively.
"She made it without magic." I told aunt Melrose.
"Really?" she asked, she didn't understand the importance in it, but acted impressed. My mother smiled proudly at me as if to say see, that's why I don't use magic. But I knew better, I could see at aunt Melrose that she didn't think of the magic as cheating. But more as a quick and helpful way, to get things done.
"Sister dear, could you pass me the gravy?" James asked.
"Are you going for the lake brother dear?" I smiled at him as I passed the gravy.
"Correct."
"You two are really something." Clara stated with a warm smile, but a cold feeling of jealousy laid behind the warmth.
"We are two pieces of one." My brother said and winked at me. A warm feeling surrounded my heart and a big smile came across my face.
"Oh brother dear, how you can flatter me." I laughed.
"So how are your parents doing?" I suddenly heard my father ask uncle Dudley. We all knew what his feelings were towards Vernon and Petunia Dursley. A sudden silent appeared. Everyone looked at either my father or uncle Dudley.
"They're fine, thanks for asking. Father still doesn't understand how I can visit you and even talk with you, but you know him. I never think he'll change." He smiled slightly. "The last time I was home, he began talking badly about you again, even though I warned him not to."
"So then what happened?"
"I told him that I would never step through his door again until he starts speaking nicely of you, or just don't talk about you. Either way is fine."
"So you're not talking with your father anymore?" My mother asked impressed.
"No." he simply replied.
"Are you sure that, that's what you want?" my father asked concerned.
"Of course I am. You're a great guy; I mean even my mother accepted you. Well she's still not over the whole; my sister is a witch, but I'm not. Thing yet. But she accepts you." The adults kept discussing the whole thing through out the dinner. My mother brought in the dessert; some lemon pudding, my uncles favorite. And after the dinner the adults was getting coffee, a muggle drink, or tea in the living room. James and Clara was in James room, he told me not to disturb them. Not that I would consider it in the first place, whenever Daniel was visiting; he, Albus and I always hanged out together. This time though, Albus was busy writing a letter to his girlfriend, clearly out of guilt for not remembering her. So it was just Daniel and I.
"What do you think they're doing?" Daniel asked me. We were sitting in my room; Daniel was looking at some moving photographs of my friends.
"Who?" I asked while looking at Scorpius catching the golden snitch right in front of Albus.
"Our siblings of course." He looked at me with an expression, saying that I should've known.
"Well…" I thought about it for a while. "Albus is writing a letter to his girlfriend. James and Clara are up in his room." I shrugged.
"Yeah… but what are they doing up there?"
"Don't know? Talking I suppose. "Why are you that interested?"
"Because it's my sister."
"So?"
"So! They're probably kissing or something like that."
"Do you really think so?" I was wondering about it for a moment, shrugged and then got back to my pictures.
"You don't care about it?" he asked in shock.
"No? Why should I? I mean what could be wrong with that?"
"Because they're related." He looked at me with his mouth open.
"It's so distant. No one cares about that."
"I care."
"Well I don't." I smiled at him.
"So if I kissed you, you wouldn't care about it?"
"Why would you do that? Besides there is a difference."
"What difference?"
"We are not in love."
"But they are?"
"Probably. I mean I don't know?" he looked thoughtfully into the air.
"Have you ever tried it?" he looked slowly at me. "I mean the kissing thing."
"No?" I looked at him, suspicious.
"Do you want to?"
"With you?" I looked at him, slightly in shock. I'd never thought about it, especially not with him. I saw him as my brother. Not just as some distant member of the family, but as a close member.
"What? No! You're like a sister to me." He gave me a weird expression. "No I mean just in general." I let out a deep sigh in relief. He raised an eyebrow at me.
"I think of you like a sibling as well, you're like a brother to me." I smiled.
"So? Do you want to try it?"
"No." I could feel my face contract into a weird expression.
"Why?"
"It's a little weird don't you think?"
"What is?"
"Kissing! Well. I don't want to do it, do you?"
"Maybe? I don't know?" he was silent for a moment. "Why do you think it's weird?"
"It's a weird thing to do. Putting your lips on a guy or a girl."
"Haven't you ever kissed your parents? Or brothers? Cousin? Aunt? Uncle?"
"Of course. But they're family. That's not the same as kissing a stranger or a friend."
"But your parents probably kiss."
"I know. And I think that's weird as well."
"You're such a child." He grinned at me.
"Yes I am." I stuck out my tongue at him.
"Careful or I will snatch it." He reached out for my tongue. I lend backwards to avoid his hand, lost my balance and fell. He bend over me, holding my hands against the floor and kissed me on my forehead.
"Ewww. Why did you do that for?" I moved up to a sitting position while rubbing my forehead.
"To tease you." He said laughing.
"Stupid Daniel!" I couldn't keep my face straight and started laughing with him. A sudden knock on my door made us silent. It was my mother.
"Don't you think it's time for bed?" She smiled at us.
"Already?" Daniel sounded depressed.
"Yes already. Its already midnight."
"What about Clara?" he'd never liked it when people made a different between him and his sister. In his world they should be equal.
"Don't worry. She's in the bathroom, getting ready for bed."
"Fine then. Goodnight Lily." He waved as he walked out.
"Soo?" my mother looked at me with a curios smile.
"What?" I answered defended.
"I heard you guys laughing?"
"So?"
"Are you two getting a little close?" she raised her eyebrows at me, while smiling.
"Mom!"
"What?" she laughed at me.
"You were asking the same thing about Larkin and Scorpius. I don't like guys that way!" I crossed my arms.
"Alright alright." She laughed. "Get to bed, and I'll see you tomorrow honey."
"What are we doing tomorrow?"
"I'll be taking Melrose out shopping in Diagon Alley, for your guys stuff."
"I want to come with you."
"You have to stay here and take care of Daniel."
"Why can't he just come with us?"
"He's just a child. He isn't used to be surrounded by magicians."
"But can't Albus just stay with him?"
"If you're going to come, the others want to come along as well."
"But…"
"No but! The choice has been made!"
"Fine." I answered grumpy. She walked over to me, gave me a quick kiss on my chin and smiled at me.
"Goodnight honey." I could feel my arms fall.
"Goodnight mum." I sighed and then smiled at her. After she'd closed the door, Clara came in.
"Lily? Still awake?"
"Obviously." I smiled.
"So… Lily…"
"We don't have to talk. We can just go to sleep."
"Oh… okay, that's fine with me." She quickly went to where she was going to sleep, and covered herself with the blanket. "Goodnight Lily."
"Night Clara." Clara and I had never been close. In the beginning I really tried to make up conversations with her, but every time she turned the subject towards James. It wasn't because I didn't wanted to talk about James. It was the way she was talking about him. Like he was hers. She kept pointing out, that she had known him for a longer time than me. And she got really jealous whenever James talked to me or in general gave me some attention. I didn't like the look she gave me, that time where James was chasing me through the house, and when he caught me, he tickled me.
When I got back into my room, Clara had already turned off the light. I moved silently towards my bed, hoping that I wouldn't step in something loud. I buried myself under my blankets and herd a deep sigh from the bed next to me.
"Clara?"
"Yeah?" her voice sounded in the dark.
"Is something wrong?" a long break.
"Lily?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you hate me?"
"Why are you asking that all of a sudden?"
"Why aren't you answering my questions?"
"I don't hate you. Hate means that I had to have a relationship with you."
"So you don't like me?"
"It's not that I don't like you… It's just that I don't have anything other than my brother to talk too you about, and if I do talk about my brother, you'll get angry. And possessive."
"I do?"
"Yes you do. You've always gotten mad at me, every time I talk about my brother, to my brother or with my brother. You get mad at me for playing with him. Or anything like that."
"Yeah I do, don't I?"
"Clara… I know you love my brother, more and more for every time you see him. And I know you think of me as your rival. But I'm his sister. I can never be your rival. And I wouldn't want to. You know? Of course James likes me. But I'm his sister. He has to like me. He don't have to like you, but he do either way."
"James doesn't just like you because he has to. He likes you because of who you are. I know I shouldn't be jealous of your relationship with your brother. It's just that I've wanted to be as close to him, as you are. But I don't know how?"
"Tell him."
"What?"
"That you like him. That you want to be close with him."
"I can't just walk up to him and tell him that I like him."
"Of course you can. Trust me, James like it simple and honest." I smiled into the darkness.
"Lily?"
"Yes Clara?"
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
…
A Silent Evening.
"Lily?" someone called my name.
"Whaat?" I yawned.
"Wake up." Albus called.
"Why?"
"Cause we're going to play with Daniel." I quickly opened up my eyes.
"What are we going to play?" I yelled at Albus, whom was already on his way down.
"A magic game."
"Stupid." I yelled after him, laughing. Whenever we were going to play with Daniel, something fun was bound to happen. There was no Clara in the room, she had probably been up early and didn't want to wake me up. But a note was lying on her pillow.
Thank you Lily.
I'm sorry I've been such a jerk. I hope we can be friends for now on.
Clara.
I walked down to the kitchen with a smile on my face.
"Why are you so happy?" Daniel asked.
"No particular reason." I just smiled stupidly.
"Well you look stupid." Albus grinned.
"I'm just mirroring you." I poked out my tongue at him and he did the same.
"Right… So what are we going to play?" Daniel asked.
"Well… Last time you tried chess. So what about exploding cards?"
"That sounds dangerous."
"It isn't." I was just about to tell him the rules when my mother and aunt Melrose came into the kitchen.
"Lily have you eaten yet?" my mother asked me.
"No, I'll do it now."
"You too boys." Aunt Melrose said.
"Yes ma'am." Albus walked straight to the refrigerator. A muggle cooling devise, my father had installed for my grandfather. Grandmother didn't want stuff like that in her house. She had, had enough of them; she kept telling him every time we came for a visit.
"Do you find anything interesting in there?" Daniel asked Albus.
"Well… there is some dessert from yesterday."
"You're not going to eat desserts for breakfast." My mother scolded.
"I wasn't going to, just answering Daniels question." I saw my mother rolling her eyes at him.
"Well… eat healthy while we're gone." She kissed us on our foreheads.
"And behave." Aunt Melrose looked at us with a serious expression.
"Of course Aunty" Albus smiled at her. We were watching them leave in the Dursley family car, out of the window. Just second after they'd gone, Albus rushed to the refrigerator.
"Do you want some pudding? Or do you prefer cheesecake?" Albus asked Daniel.
"Um…?" Daniel answered unsure.
"It's okay if you don't want either." I smiled at Daniel. "We have cereals as well, toast, waffles, you name it and we have it."
"Really?"
"Really."
"What about pancakes?"
"Of course. My mother taught me to make those, in the muggle way." I smiled proudly.
"Great."
"What do you want on them?"
"Syrup and blue berries." Albus was looking at him with a weird expression.
"Does that taste good?"
"Like heaven." He smiled.
"Sis make me some too."
"Sister would you please make some for me as well!" I corrected him.
"Sure… whatever you say." He put his arm around Daniel and let him to the living room. I could hear him say something about letting the woman do her job. I didn't get mad at him; I knew I was about to kick his ass in exploding cards.
After making a bunch of pancakes I went out too the garden to pluck some fresh blueberries. When I reached the fruit section, I ran into my father and uncle Dudley.
"Good morning Lily."
"Morning; dad, uncle." I greeted them.
"What are you doing out here so early?"
"Getting some blueberries for our breakfast." I smiled.
"That sounds delicious, what are you making?"
"Pancakes."
"That must be Daniels idea." Uncle Dudley laughed.
"It was." I smiled.
"With syrup right? It his favourite." He explained. I nodded and Dudley got a happy look on his face.
"Do you want some as well?" I asked him. He looked at my father with a raised eyebrow, my father nodded at him. They both then looked at me.
"That sounds great Lily. Thank you."
"Of course." I was a little unsure of how to react. Something was weird about uncle Dudley that day. I just couldn't figure out what it was.
After gathering the berries I went back into the kitchen to finish the breakfast, when Kreacher pulled at my nightgown.
"Miss Lily?"
"What is it Kreach?"
"Why didn't miss made me do the breakfast?"
"Oh… I didn't think about that?" he looked at me with his big round blueish eyes. He was looking sad. A big sniff came from him. And as he was about to turn away I got an idea.
"But I really need you help, with setting the table and poor the berries into a bowl." He turned around with a big smile and got started right away.
"Who's going to eat?"
"Father, Uncle, Daniel, Albus and me. I don't know about James and Clara. Can you ask them for me?"
"Of course Miss." I was cleansing the berries when Kreacher suddenly pulled my dress again.
"They're coming down to eat with you, miss." He smiled happily.
"Why does that make you this happy Kreach?"
"Oh it doesn't. But I can't tell you miss, it's a promise. I promised the master that I wouldn't tell anyone." He smirked.
"Who did you promise Kreach?"
"The master, miss."
"Which one?" he looked at me in deep thoughts.
"I don't know if I'm aloud to tell you Miss?"
"Did he tell you not to tell, who told you not to tell?" I asked.
"Um… maybe?"
"If I guess who it is, are you aloud to say yes or no?" he thought a little more.
"I don't know?"
"Was it Albus?" he shook his head.
"Was it father." Another shake.
"James?" no reaction.
"Oh so it was James."
"How did you know?" he asked with big worried eyes.
"Because you were upside asking him if he wanted to eat breakfast with us."
"Oh."
"So what were they doing?"
"I can't tell you, miss." He suddenly got busy with setting the table in the living room. When he came back in to the kitchen, he avoided eye contact with me.
"Alright, I'm not going to ask you anything." I smiled at him, he turned slowly at me, bowed his head.
"Thank you miss." I didn't need to ask him anyway, I already knew what he couldn't tell.
After breakfast; James and Clara went back to his room and stayed there until dinner. My father and Uncle Dudley went back out to the garden and stayed there until after lunch, were they went into my fathers' office.
Meanwhile I was kicking my brothers and Daniels ass in exploding cards.
"This game is soo awesome." Daniel yelled out after he had won a set against my brother. The rules were simple; you each had about seven cards that you had to match into a pair. If you didn't have the pair yourself you had to get it from the opponent by drawing one card at a time from his or hers hand. The one sitting with the last card would loose and all of his or hers cards would begin to steam, bounce and then explode right into the loser's face.
"Alright! Enough already… I don't want to play this stupid game anymore." Albus yelled out after he lost another round.
"You're only saying that because you're losing." Daniel clapped him on his shoulder while laughing.
"Fine! But lets play another game."
"Which one?"
"What about that board game we played last time?" Daniel asked. "The one with the brooms?"
"Well…" Albus looked at me with an angry expression.
"My cat destroyed it, to a point were even magic couldn't fix it." I shrugged.
"You probably made your cat destroy it!"
"Why would I do that?"
"You never really liked that game!"
"Of course I did! it was the game that you were lamest at and I the best." Daniel started laughing.
"What are you laughing at? She beated you in it as well."
"But she's right. You were really lame at it, and that's even when you're so good at the real thing."
"Haha! Yes very funny." Albus grumbled.
"Oh relax… we'll find a game you're good at." I smiled at him.
"Easy for you to say… you'll just beat me anyway."
"Well… there's one thing you do better than me." I smiled encouraging.
"And what is that?"
"Losing." Daniel burst out. Albus; sending him an evil look.
"No… You're better at being the keeper." I smiled. "And I know that you will make a much better captain than me… you're better at pranking… and you have one thing that I envy you off."
"What's that?"
"Your black hair." I almost whispered.
"What? Why are you jealous of my hair colour?"
"Cause it's so much prettier than red."
"It's just a hair colour." He said harshly.
"That's easy for you to say, you've never been bullied because of your colour." I said hurt.
"What did they say?" Daniel asked nourishing.
"They called me names."
"Who did?" Albus said almost angry.
"The kids from the village." I looked down at my hands.
"I'll curse them."
"No you wont! You'll get into more trouble."
"I don't care! No one is going to be mean to my sister." I could sense his ignorant proudness.
"You don't care if the ministry of magic, takes your wand away? And expels you from Hogwarts?"
"They would never…"
"That's exactly what they'll do! Haven't you ever heard the story of your name father?"
"Nooo…?"
"His father cursed some muggle children after they'd been mean to his daughter. The father was sent to prison and he got his wand taken."
"You're lying."
"That's not one of my trades, and you know it."
"You're to clever for your own good."
"It will probably save you in the future." We looked at each other with an angry expression, and then we suddenly burst into laughter. Daniel couldn't follow the conversation and just looked at us, like we were talking a whole different language.
After lunch we went out into the garden. Albus thought it would be fun to throw around a ball.
"So what are the rules?" Daniel asked.
"Simply to throw around the ball."
"We're only going to throw around a stupid ball? What's magical about that?"
"Nothing." Albus shrugged.
"How boring." Daniel said disappointed.
"What? Why?"
"That's what us 'muggles' do EVERY god damn day!" he crossed his arms and looked at Albus with a challenging expression.
"Who is god?"
"That's the man the muggles believe to have created the world and everything living on it." I explained. "God damn is a phrase they use the same way as we use Merlin."
"Thank you for your lections Lily!" Daniel said still upset.
"Don't bite at my sister!" Albus bit.
"Stop it you guys. We were going to enjoy this afternoon, not ruin it."
"And how do you suppose we do that?"
"By playing with the 'God damn' ball!" Albus bit.
"Stop it Albus! But yes. By playing with the ball. You see Daniel. It's not a normal ball."
"It's a magical ball." Albus said arrogantly.
"Why didn't you just tell me to begin with?"
"Because you got all unreasonable angry!"
"Stop nagging!" I bit at them.
"Fine! Then what do it do?"
"It changes colours every time it's thrown, it decides on the winning colour, and when you catch it at that colour, you've won the game. But if you don't catch it, it will spit you in the face." Albus shrugged.
"Cool." Daniel smiled. We then played it until my mother came home. We had lots of fun rest of the day. Melrose was the one to help my mother in the kitchen this time.
After dinner Albus, Daniel and I caught James and Clara kissing in his room. We were laughing all the way down to the living room, were we told our parents what we had just witness. They just smiled at us, as it was nothing.
James on the other hand chased us throw the house to give us a curse with uncle George's magical wand. A few days more with magical games, music and treats from uncle George's shop, then we had to say goodbye to the Dursley family.
The last night before going back to school we were sitting in the living room. My father then suddenly told us that this was our last time seeing uncle Dudley.
"He is sick and may not recover from it." He told us.
"Isn't there anything we can do to help?"
"Unfortunately not." He shook his head.
"So is he going to die?" I cried.
"Maybe? We're not sure." My mother answered nourishing.
"How can you not now?" James asked angrily.
"Do Daniel and Clara know?" I suddenly asked, remembering Daniel outburst.
"Yes they do. They were told the day before coming here." My father answered.
"Does Uncle Dudley play a lot of throwing the ball with Daniel."
"Yes he does. But how did you know?"
"Because he got sad when he thought that we were going to play that game. Actually he got really angry at us."
"Really?"
"Yes… actually he's been acting strange ever since he arrived." Albus confirmed.
"Maybe that's why Clara…" James cut himself off before spilling out about the kissing.
"No… Clara has always liked you. I talked to her about it the day before she confessed to you." I told James. He smiled relieved at me.
"Thank you Lily." I gave him a nod.
"So what know?" Albus asked confused about the whole thing. "Should we grieve?"
"No, don't grieve before something has happened." My mother told him. That night I cried myself to sleep. And the next morning, I was still in a bad mood.
…
A/N: thank you for your patience. I really appreciate it.