10. A Birthday

The family was loosely assembled in the dinning room where everyone was talking to everyone. Violet was cradling baby Chriss in her arms. Maple had his arms around Jasmine, guiding her around as to not get lost, distracted by nothing. Brian was talking to Sendak about sports and Iris was pouring drinks for her parents. Beeza and Veena were trying to get Cyris and Vin to let them use their wands which had been put away, and Byron was amusing himself with a paper snich he had made.

Byron was asking Tyler about his non-existent car that he would make up when people would ask him about himself, when the house boomed and shook ferociously.

"Cora must have brought them, that crazy monkey," Brian scoffed and all the men laughed.

"Oh they're here!" Grandma shouted looking out the window to the front of the house.

A tall thin man, with large shoulders and a soft face stood with a short woman with strait, golden hair, a baby cuddled in the woman's arms with round cheeks and black locks, and a short, stick of a girl, with long, curling gold hair like her mother's that hung down to her waist, uncut, un touched by human hands. She was wrapped up in a white dress with puffy sleeves and fabric that cut off at her knees and gave her the look of a child.

She had big blue eyes and white skin, perfect and smooth like an angel's face. She smiled sweetly at the house, her arms down at her sides timidly and her white ballerina slippers pointing in. She was a perfect cherub.

"HIIiii!" The woman with gold curls shouted at the family through the window. She bent her knees and waved ferociously, unable to contain her boiling excitement. And everyone in the house let out a soft sigh. The tall man smiled at everyone, rolling his eyes in good humor at his wife. Grandma was already at the door, swinging them both open, her arms open wide in the doorway. "Oh there's the birthday girl!"

"Now, who's that?" Tyler tried to whisper to Axel.

"That's Aster, the youngest of the Laflors, and the only son. That's Cora, his wife, aunt Cora…nobody really likes her."

Gabriel looked around and could see that. The sigh of exaustion from Brian and Sendak, the forced smiles from Jasmin and Violet and Daisy, Iris leaving the room. Maple looking away like he didn't realize anyone was there, and Grandpa…Grandpa was simply blank.

"That's Lyra," Axel continued, "The eldest girl cousin, she's eleven today. And that's little Dewy. He was just born a few months ago. The true last heir of the Laflors."

Gabriel suddenly realized it, every one of the children of Grandpa Laflor was a girl accept for Aster. Iris, Daisy, then his mom Rose, Heather (Tyler's mom), Ginger (Will's mom), then Jasmine, Violet and now Uncle Aster. The other funny thing was how each of the daughters had a first born son, Axel, Byron, Gabriel, Tyler, William, Vin, Cyris, and Aster had Lyra, the first girl and Granddaughter. She was even older than Breanna and Alexus who were still ten, and Beeza and Veena were nine and six.

"You will never guess who's here!" Gabriel heard Grandma say to the couple in the doorway now. There was silence and then he could make out his name and Tyler's and William's as well.

"What?" The man's voice, Aster's voice said flatly.

"Rose's, Heather's and Ginger's kids!" Rose's, Heather's, and Ginger's, kids. The label was so distant, so unfamiliar, like it should be. He didn't like it, but it was true, and would be for now.

"Now, which one's your mother?" Gabriel heard Byron ask William.

"Ginger," he said with a sigh. They were thinking it too. Suddenly, all three of them felt alien, and lost. Rose, Heather and Ginger. Where were they? Why did they send them here? Why now?

A shrill scream broke his train of thought.

"YOU'RE HERE!" The woman Cora was bounding for them. She was a short, stubby, strange sort of woman, truly not a Laflor, not one of the family, an intruder. "You boys! Oh my goodness!" She had reached them and was hugging their stiff bodies, kissing their cheeks and looking them over. "You have grown! Oh so big! So big! SO BIG!" Gabriel felt insulted, just a touch.

"She's never even met them before!" Gabriel overheard Brian complain to Daisy.

"Let her be," she sighed.

"Oh my goodness!" Her laugh, shrill and unnerving, rang through the house like a silver bell, and everyone winced. Gabriel had to force himself to keep smiling. The only thing he liked about all these introductions was that he didn't have to talk. Everyone kept talking to him, telling him how much he's grown and how they last remembered him, asking him about him, not waiting for him to talk. That was till now.

The woman starred at him, smiling wide, her eyes expecting, her mouth silent. She stood back, holding his arms with her huge hands, and waited now. There was a long, awkward, still silence as everyone waited. She kept smiling, shifting her eyes from him to Tyler to William back to him.

…

"Hi?" he stammered. She lowered her head, keeping here eyes on him. Her wiry smile growing.

"Hi," she said deeply, mocking him.

There was another awkward moment till Grandma saved him, "Aster, this is Gabriel, and Tyler, and William. Boys, this is your moms's-s only brother," she said smiling widely at him. The entire room breathed out now. The man was tall, but not taller than Gabriel, strong, but fatherly in his face. His eyes were big and puppy like, his face full of life and joy. The bronze hair on his scalp curled softly and this skin, pale but healthy, glowed faintly and smelled of musk.

"It is so good to finally meet you," he said smiling brightly. Gabriel liked him. "I've heard so much about you three from…well from all your moms, but Rose especially."

"You two were always so close," Grandma told him and he laughed thinking of a distant memory.

"I can see you brought your snack-a-jacket!" Iris' laugh brought everyone else into Gabriel's perspective.

Aster's laughed boomed through the house, giving life to everything and everyone.

"Just for you, Iris! Did you bring the Hoola-swoop?" He said, and Iris and Daisy laughed.

"I forgot my Hoola-swoop!" Iris said playing along.

"You can use Brian's," Daisy said holding back giggles, "He brought his!"

"Oh he did!" Aster said laughing now.

"Yeah so we have an extra!" Daisy burst again and Violet was laughing now. Jasmine was giggling to herself and all the men joined, accept Brian who was shaking his head.

Daisy and Iris were swinging their hips now, laughing hysterically, and Aster was trying to contain himself.

"C'mon Brian," Daisy said to him, "Hoola-SWOOP!" She started laughing again.

"What are they talking about?" William asked Axel.

"Nobody knows," Brian said shaking his head. "They've been doing the same material for years and still nobody gets it."

"You mean you don't get it!" Iris scolded him.

"His swoop don't hoola," Aster said, and the room busted into laughter again.

"Some inside joke they've had for years," Axel said to the boys, "Every time it's something new. I think it's hilarious."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, guys, this is Lyra," Aster turned back to Gabriel, Tyler and William. "Lyra these are your elder cousins. Tyler, William and Gabriel."

"Hi," she started in an Angelic voice, "Nice to meet you."

"I heard it's your birthday today," said Gabriel.

"Yeah," she said blushing.

"Well happy birthday!" he sang and she looked down, smiling widely.

"ELEVEN!" Cora sang in, everyone had forgotten she was there. "The big year! No year is bigger! Not until seventeen but that's years away! ELEVEN!"

"Well," Grandpa started. He had been standing in the back of the room, watching the mayhem at a safe distance. "I think that Dinner is ready! Are we all ready, Joy?"

"I think so," she said, her exhausted face drooping down.

She pulled out her wand from its hiding place in the folds of her blouse, waved it around like she was conducting music and a flurry of sparks sprang from the end of the wood. They flew and floated around the room till they made their way to the long, glass table in the center of the room. No one but Gabriel and William watched as the sparks twirled and grew all at once disappeared just above the glass, and in their place was a grand buffet of every kind of food you can imagine.

Smoked brisket, mashed potatoes with honey sauce, biscuits and fresh gravy, a grand Caesar salad topped with balsamic dressing, sliced honey baked ham and grilled turkey. There was plate after plate of meats and cheeses, jelly and fruit salads, fresh watermelon, sliced peaches, and cut strawberries, everything glistening and calling out to the boys as they searched the food.

"Drinks are in the breakfast room," Grandma told them as she spotted their hungry eyes probing the table. "Boys are always hungry," she told herself.

Gabriel and the other two followed Axel into the next room where a round table sat in the center, covered in every kind of drink one can think up.

He was pouring himself a glass of iced coke when he picked up the shrill chirp of a monkey behind him. He stopped for a moment to listen when there it was again, the chirp of a small monkey talking, calling out to someone. He turned around and on the wall behind him, was the painted body of a monkey in stripped pajamas on the wall. It sat on the branch of some sort of tree, it's tail holding him tightly to the wood as it watched Gabriel motionless. Then it moved. It jumped and screeched again, happy to get Gabriel's attention.

Gabriel jumped back, not expecting the painting to move so, but it did. Just like the dragon, Sally upstairs, the painted monkey moved about, hopping from painted branch to painted branch around the entire room. It climbed over the doorways and around the glass cabinets, trying to find a way closer to the boy, until it came back to the spot on the branch right in front of him.

"That's Stripes," Axel said startling both of them.

"Stripes?" Gabriel repeated.

"Yeah. Years ago someone painted him. Years before Grandpa and Grandma moved in. There's paintings and murals all over the house. Haven't you noticed?" he asked.

"Well, yeah. Kinda. They weren't moving last night though," Gabriel said as the monkey spotted a butterfly and chased it around the walls.

"Yeah there's a lion and a unicorn in the maid's courters past the kitchen, and some ruins in the bathroom," said Axel.

"Ruins?" Gabriel asked, curious.

"Yeah. There are lots of scenes painted. They're all over the second story and in the basement. The grass blows in the wind and there are some field mice and rabbits and things," he said uninterested in his own words.

"I knew pictures could move, but I was kinda surprised when Sally was moving in the glass last night. Thought I was dreaming," Gabriel said pressing on.

"Oh yeah. Whoever painted the walls enchanted them too. They're all over the place," he said leading Gabriel back to the glass table.

"Have lots of people lived here before us? Before them, I mean," he corrected himself.

"If I remember right, Our family has lived here the longest, but not all at one time," Axel said taking a seat and offering the one next to him to Gabriel.

Gabriel took the cushioned chair, looking at the special detail in the carvings in the wood. He looked at each chair and noticed that each one was different. Some metal, some wood, short ones and a few chairs that looked more like thrones. "What do you mean?" he said trying to focus.

"Well the Laflor's actually built this place back in the eighteenth century, but moved out much later, in 1860s. One family lived here for ten or twelve years and sold it to another who lived here for only a few years, when Grandpa's dad, our Great Grandpa, bought it in 1915 I think, when he was just a bachelor. And Grandpa was born in 1923. He's lived here his whole life," said Axel, his plate filled with food when he had finished.

"Woah," William said before Gabriel could. He had taken a seat next to Gabriel and Tyler next to him.

"So this place is kinda old, huh?" Tyler said, his mouth full of food again.

"Kinda," Axel laughed.

"Old as crap!" Byron shouted, him mouth more full than Tyler's.

"Tell me, Bryon," said Axel, annoyance in his voice, "how old is crap?"

"Pretty crappin' old," he said, food already in his mouth.

"So where are your mom's?" Aster asked from across the table.

"At the Capitolium," Tyler said before diving into his brisket again.

"Ohh!" Cora butted in, "What do they do?" she asked, her face just full of excitement, it made Gabriel sick.

"Don't really know," Gabriel told her. His mom's work was always a big secret. She never worked when he was there during the summer, and she would always refuse to talk about it. His aunts were the same way. They never discussed it with their families, and Gabriel and both of the other boys had figured out that it was because their dad's were much to busy to care or ask about it.

Sometime in the first year after the divorce, Gabriel had an epiphany of sorts; Rose, Heather and Ginger had married who they married, because David, Roy and Jonathan were stupid. These guys never asked about their wives' families, or past lives, or jobs. All three men were so similar that Gabriel had even wondered if their marriages were just a cover-up or something, a way to be connected to the real world.

It kind of made any sense. Three witches with secret jobs marry three unsuspecting muggles and raise families. But it also didn't make sense. Why would three witches with secret jobs marry three unsuspecting muggles and raise families? Why would they place themselves in the muggle world? Why get married at all?

After months of headaches, Gabriel's mom put his thoughts to rest…in her own way.

"I married your father because I loved him," she said with a sad tone in her voice, her eyes full of regret. Gabriel didn't buy it.

"You loved him?" he almost shouted the question at her.

"I did!" she said straitening up, "and he loved me! There is no conspiracy here! You're assuming things and it's hurtful, Gabe! Don't talk about this anymore! I keep my job a secret from you to protect you! I keep my job a secret from you dad and the girls to protect them too. Heather keeps here job a secret to protect Roy and Tyler. Same with Ginger," she said trying to calm herself.

"Why do you need to protect me? Why do you need to protect him?" He said almost shouting again.

"Because I love you," she said in a hushed voice. This was the first fight he had ever gotten into with his mom, the first time he had raised his voice, and it felt horrible.

"Well I am head of the Magical Creatures department!" Cora's shrill voice brought Gabriel to the surface and back to the present. "We deal with the protection of both Magical and Muggle peoples alike when it comes to," she thought for a moment, "let's just say magical creatures and leave it at that." Then she busted into a flurry of shrill laughs like she had just said a clever joke. When no one else joined in she quieted down, her bright spirits still high. "Basically we keep magical creatures a secret from muggles and protect wizards and witches from the dangerous ones." She took a rather large helping of jelly pudding then and shoved it into her mouth.

"Mom," little Lyra sparked.

"Yes dear," said the woman.

"Can I get a garden sprite? Just to keep in my room? They're perfectly harmless!" she said quickly.
"Oh no dear! They pull your hair out when you sleep and some have even been know to set fire to houses," she said flatly and that was that. The poor girl lowered her gaze to her plate of food and played with her fruit.

The family ate quietly for a moment until Aster said something about Brian's Hoola Swoop and the place was a flurry again. Every one spoke merrily and sang and laughed. Daisy asked William about his plant charms that she had overheard him talking about. He promised to help her with her Flower gnome problem and get her venus fly traps singing again.

Tyler asked Byron about quidditch and he spun a tale about the world cup where he had one particular French beater trying to kill him, but he managed to score 318 points before the other team caught the snich. Thankfully, Byron had just scored another ten points and that was enough to win them the game without the snich. Axel threw in a couple of eye rolls and silent laughs, and later told Gabriel how he had deflected one of the blugers at the other teams beaters early on in the game which gave Byron the ability to score so much. He had also taken out two of the French Chasers as well.

The small children who sat at the end of the table talked rather loudly, ohing and ahing at Lyra's new wand that she had picked up just that morning. Vin was showing her some low level charms that she used to make her food fly across the table and make the drinks change colors.

Gabriel had never felt more at home, for this home was perfect. Everyone happy and loud and smiling. This home was his, and William's and Tyler's all the same, and would be forever. The small stone hidden deep under his cloths that he had forgotten about, hidden away from sight like his mother, glowed a clear shade of blue.

…

Before long, all the jelly was gone, the soda and iced tea drunk, and the ham eaten, and the family shuffled down the hallway a few at a time, into the grand ballroom which was almost entirely decorated in green and white due to Axel and Byron's cleverness. Even Arnold's silver armor was glowing with touches of green, his sword the shade of oak leaves.

"PRESENTS!" Beeza and Veena shouted at the same time. Grandma was passing out slices of pound cake that Iris and Violet had made, and Lyra sat in the middle of the room, surrounded in a wall of presents wrapped in pink and blue and silver and gold and green, lots of green. Her white dress was now green with the help of a coloring charm that Cyris and Vin had used on it, and poor Cora, trying to stay composed, sat beside Aster complaining that she would never get it white again.

"Open ours first," Iris said in a raspy, sultry voice as she slid into a spot next to Tyler who spied nervously at her mini skirt and black tights. "It's the purple one over there."

Lyra put down her bronze wand and waited anxiously as Axel gave her the purple package, and then took a spot next to Gabriel. Lyra pulled at the wrappings, carful not to rip it, but simply undo the impossible taping job. Finally, in her lap, sat a large volume of "Witches Monthly".

"It's got tons of fashion charms and potion recipies," Iris said excited, "You can get your up do looking fabulous darling! Just fabulous!"

Lyra thanked her exitedly and then found a small package next to her, wrapped in the same purple, but with small holes on the side.

"That's from Axel," Iris said with a smile. "My son wanted to get you something of his own. He wasn't excited about sharing a gift of 'Witches Monthly'."

She pulled it open to find a tiny, chirping, green bird with furry wings, a white belly, and a tail that was two times as long as the body, that curled into a swirl at the end. "It's a Persian Humming Hummingbird!" she said with a squeak. Axel said nothing but smiled.

"Oh!" Cora said with a squeak, but not as excited.

"He checked with me before he got it, Cora," Aster told her.

"Oh!" she said with an even higher squeak, still not as excited.

"What's her name?" Lyra asked Axel.

"Well she doesn't have one yet. I think that's up to you," he said. The green bird spread it's furry wings and fluttered into the air, beating them so quickly, they almost disappeared. It chirped and twitched it's head, watching Lyra who put her finger out for her to perch on. She spied the white, boney finger and landed weightlessly.

"Clair," she said. The bird ruffled it's feather, twitching its head back and forth, looking at her in different angles. Lyra smiled and nodded once, "Yes, Clair."

The bird chirped at her new name, and suddenly the green turned to white and its white underside turned green. Everyone gasped at its trick, and she chirped again and turned back to green with a white belly.

"For sure Clair," Lyra laughed.

The tiny bird sat on her shoulder as she patiently worked through the rest of the presents, never ripping the paper, always playing with the tape to unfold the wrappings. Slowly she built a pile of perfectly intact, square papers beside herself with a pile or ribbons next to that. From Violet and Sendak she got a brand new cauldron with green handles, and a thick book of brews, and from Cyris, Beeza, Veena and even Chriss, she got a rather large horned owl with bright green eyes. Cora protested saying that she could use Aster or her owl if she needed to send letters, but Violet insisted. She also got a green cape with studs that changed color in different light.

Daisy and Brian got her a packet of flying puddle peas for her garden that Lyra wanted to plant right away, and a witch's hat that was a tad to big, and a black dress with studs and a pumpkin pin to match. They also got her a record player that she could use to record spells or recipes or to-do lists on the disks and have them be played back to her. Byron made up a homemade card for her that reminded Gabriel of his sister's sad card to him for his birthday. He also got her a pack of Asian viper vine seeds that really didn't interest her.

From Jasmine, Maple, and Vin, she got a 'Famous Wizard and Witches, Wizard Chess Set' that Clair chirped at when the pieces moved on their own, trying to move them back with her small talons. She also opened a rather large Vanity with a mirror that talked to her when she asked it questions about her appearance. She also got a rather large box of exploding chocolates that Axel explained didn't actually explode, but when you ate a piece, it "exploded" with more and more chocolate that you could eat for hours. A rather special treat. Lucky her.

The entire time, Cora spied each package with un-approving eyes, forcing a rather unpleasant smile and saying things like "Oh, how…nice," and "Well that's…quaint." Each time saying something harsh to poor Aster who reassured her that Lyla was old enough for the dress, or smart enough for the potions, or that her arm was not a twig that the owl would break in two.

Finally, she came to a rather oddly shaped package, very long, and rather heavy looking, and a small round package that sat on a strange silver stand that held it in place perfectly.

"Oh wow," said Axel.

"What?" Gabriel followed his gaze.

"I know what that is," said Axel.

"What?" Gabriel tried to whisper.

Axel turned to him, confusion in his face like he thought it strange that Gabriel didn't know what it was too. He opened his mouth to say something, hesitated then whispered, "Well…well it's a broom."

"Is this what I think it is?" Lyla squeaked, her eyes moist and the size of oranges.

"Is that what I think it is?" Cora said harshly under her breath to Aster, everyone had heard her though.

"I don't know," Grandpa said to both of them with that tone that was used to make you think he knew something you didn't.

"A broom?" Gabriel said quiet enough for only Axel to hear.

"Not just a broom," Byron butted in, having to be part of every conversation, feeling left out if he wasn't. "That's a Sammy Splinter!"

"Who?" whispered Gabriel.

"What?" mumbled William.

"Whoah!" cried Tyler.

This time, Lyla hadn't bothered to save the paper. In her lap, surrounded in a graveyard of silver and green wrappings, was a slim, sparkling, quivering, green broom.

It was absolutely beautiful. The hand crafted, hand carved broom stick curved and bowed in such a way that it took the shape of a small seat near the bristles, which were by the way, an eerie shade of green, darker than the wood, but also glistening brighter than the candles.

Lyra ran her hand over the smooth surface of the wood, tracing the carvings that swirled and swam across the grain. Along one side she touched the silver letters that spelled out her name in a beautiful, medieval cursive: Lyra Laflor. On the other side, in the same silver lettering were two words: Sea Foam.

"Sea Foam," Lyra repeated softly. The green bird on her shoulder chirped brightly.

"That's a nice one," Vin said sitting down beside her.

"You wanna race, Lyra? You wanna race?" said Cyris who was jumping up and down.

"That is nice," said Axel.

"It's okay," Byron said unimpressed.

"It's a…Sammy Splinter?" William said, trying hard to not make it sound like a question.

"Sammy Splinter," Axel started, "is the best brooms maker in the west."

"The world really!" Byron corrected.

"She started out making brooms for quidditch specifically," Axel said ignoring him. "She actually was the first to make different brooms for different positions. First, she made a Keeper's broom, made to move quicker and more conformably on the diagonal, up and down, and backwards. They had short bristles to make them come to a quicker stop and the shafts were little shorter in length for maneuverability. They were a huge hit, until coaches started complaining that other teams Keepers were making it absolutely impossible to score, so she developed a Chaser's Broom. These were longer in the shaft, but had a huge bend in them, so the chasers could stand up on their crossbars for a quicker turn around to turn onto defense. They were also much faster with longer bristles.

"Soon, she came out with a Beater's broom. They were also shorter than the chaser broom, but longer than the keeper broom. They weren't as fast as the chaser broom, but faster than the keeper, with just as good maneuverability. The biggest difference was a flattened area in the wood where the beaters would sit and stay on the broom better when it came time to hitting the bludgers." He stopped a second to watch Lyra who had been mounted on her broom, feeling it with her whole body. She ran over to Grandpa and kissed his face several times shouting thank you over and over again. He laughed and hugged her and asked if she liked it and everyone laughed. Then she ran back and remounted it, jumping up and down. Axel laughed at her huge smile and went on.

"Then there came the Seeker's broom. This one had a long shaft with very little curve to it so it would be as fast as possible. It got huge speed and could still stop pretty quick, faster than the Firebolt, and even the Charmer. Soon every team had their players fitted for their proper broom."

"Cool!" Tyler said. He hadn't taken his eyes off the green masterpiece. Beeza and Veena were now sitting on the broom behind Lyra, begging her to take off, but Cora was planted right in front of the broom, holding it to the ground with an iron grip, trying hard to smile and say what a great gift it was.

"So is that a…beater broom?" asked William.

"No no no," Byron shook his head. "That's a mix. A custom broom." He picked at his teeth, still uninterested.

"Custom?" Gabriel asked.

"Yeah," Axel smiled, "Now, Sammy makes custom brooms for people who don't play quidditch. They tend to be mixes between two or three of her quidditch brooms. Some of them are one-of-a-kind. Most of them really, which is why they're so expensive. Grandpa knows Sammy personally, so he gets a discount. He helped her get started really. She basically hands them to him for free. We've all gotten one for our eleventh birthday."

"Serious?" Tyler said, his mouth hitting the floor practically.

Gabriel though about his eleventh birthday. All he got was a wand and a ring and some cloths. No broom. He didn't even get a car till he was fourteen and even then he though that was special! Who gets a car at fourteen? Who gets a custom made Sammy Splinter at eleven? This must be special, even in the magical world.

"This looks like a Beater's broom, but without such a flat seat, and a little longer," Byron said with an intelligent tone. Who knew?

"Okay! Okay!" Cora was saying then, trying to laugh but with a touch of malice in her voice. "What's in the last one?" She finally got the broom free of her daughter's grasp and Lyla fell to he ground with Beeza and Veena. Everyone was watching Cora, rolling their eyes.

Gabriel looked at the last package closely now. The stand it sat in was made of silver dragons that twisted and curled around each other in pretty, old shapes. There was an age to the silver stand that made it look quite old, quite special. The ball that sat in the stand, wrapped in the same green paper and silver paper seemed to glow.

"Oh I've had just about as much green as I can take for a year," Iris said rubbing her eyes. Daisy and Brian laughed.

"Yeah I think you missed a spot, Axel," Brian said sarcastically. Gabriel felt his stomach jump at the sound of his father's voice hidden in Brian's. Axel just smiled, not a sliver of hate in his eyes.

"For a beater, it sure takes a lot to get you riled up!" Brian scoffed and Axel's gaze dropped, no one but Gabriel noticed.

"That's from me, honey," Grandma said with a tired huff. Lyra was eyeing the package intensely.

She pulled it, stand and all, up into her lap. "It's heavy," she said in a hushed voice.

"It's very old," Grandma said a little concerned.

Carefully, slowly, the girl pulled on the paper, and effortlessly, it tore away to revile a silver, clear, crystal ball. Lyra gasped, and a soft grin took hold of her face. Her big, blue eyes tore away from the ball and into Grandma's face. "Thank you," she whispered.

"Do you know what that is?" Grandma said, excited.

"It's a crystal ball," Lyra laughed awkwardly.

"It's MY, FIRST, crystal ball," the old woman huffed.

"REALLY?" The little girl shouted.

"Oh mom," Aster gasped.

"Grandma is a famous Seer," Axel told Gabriel.

All three of them remembered what a Seer was; someone who could naturally see the future.

"Oh my goodness," Lyra squeaked.

"I saw you had the gift when you were born, Lyra, and I mean that," Grandma said sternly, afraid her words would be taken lightly.

"Really?" said Lyra.

"I always saw her as a herbologist," Cora butted in, her eyes wide with burning fury.

"Oh no, she's a Seer all right," Grandma said ignoring her anger. "She's got the eyes. And that line on her left had that I showed you, Aster." Lyra gazed long and hard into the crystal ball while everyone listened to Grandma. "I got the feeling when she was born, but it wasn't till she was four months old that I knew for sure. That's when the spirit comes alive. At four months. And then her eyes, they're perfect. Optimistic, open."

"Well I don't know," Cora said sternly, "she's quite clever when it comes to plants."

"Well so am I," Grandma retorted, annoyed.

"I just don't know if that kind of thing is appropriate. I mean it's a sweet gift," started Cora.

"Honey, please," Aster tried to stop her.

"No, let me speak Bunny Bear!" she turned back to the old woman who was in no mood to argue. Not now. "I don't think it's appropriate to give her something like that when she's already got her heart set on herbology. No need filling her head with ideas that she could be something as ridiculous as a Seer." Cora laughed full heartedly.

"She just got her wand today!" Grandma shouted, "whose to say that she's already made up her mind to be anything? It's just a gift, Cora!"

"There's just no need to try and seal her fate," Cora said calmly, her eyes wide and harsh.

"The only person sealing her fate is you! Saying she's going to be a herbologist when she just got her wand today! Poor thing hasn't even started her teachings!" Grandma was exhausted.

Cora just starred at the old woman like she had at Gabriel. Eyes wide and smiling. Her face twisted into a grin that hinted at madness. She sat strait up, proper in a much to do way. There was a long, awkward silence, the room uneasy with the strange woman's presence. It was easy to see why no one liked her at all. Poor Aster, his head in his hands, embarrassed, ashamed, just sat, ready to die. Even Byron felt uncomfortable.

"Well!" Cora broke the frozen air, "you haven't opened our present, Lyla!" she said just a little to perky.

"Our present? Honey?" Aster asked, raising his head.

"Yes our present Bunny Bear!" The fancy weasel of a woman dug through her purse and pulled out a flat, rectangular, wrapped sort of package. "Lyla!" The woman sang.

"What?" The girl sprang to life. She had missed the entire spat from being trapped in the clearness of the crystal ball. Grandma seemed pleased at this for some reason.

Cora handed the strange packet to her daughter who was still trapped in a daze about the ball, and fumbled to open the paper. She shook her head and then tore the paper away, unsuspecting. Everyone watched as Lyra now pulled on the edges of a brown, paper packet that looked much to official for an eleven year old girl. Grandma eyes the packet closely and gasped silently, realizing what it was.

The girl, packet now torn open, pulled out a sheet of paper. Cora squeaked with excitement before the girl had a moment to read it. Her, boney, trembling fingers, whose whiteness matched the paper, creased into the parchment as she began to read it.

"To Miss Lyra Caroline Laflor, Congratulations!

You have been accepted among many able and esteemed applicants, to Cobblecot School of Witchcraft and Wizardry."

She stopped there, but the room was already frozen. Aster's mind shut off, Violet pulled at Sendak's arm, Jasmine shot up strait, sitting strait up while Dewy had to catch his breath, Daisy turned away, Brian putting his arm around her, Iris sat dumbfounded, Grandma as star struck as her daughter, and Grandpa as composed as ever. All the grandkids just starred, emotionless.

"Keep reading!" Cora commanded, and poor Lyla jumped out of her trance.

"With exciting roads ahead, twisting and turning, all leading you to different places, the professors of Cobblecot are thrilled to help you along your way to your future," Lyla stammered on. Sendak laughed sarcastically at the words "different places" and Gabriel thought where those roads would be leading; all to one place, the Capitolium.

"With the term already in session, you will be placed in special 'fast track' classes that will move you ahead quicker and catch you up to your peers," the girl kept reading. "Enclosed is a schedule of classes that you will be taking (we don't allow classes to be chosen, they are assigned to each student for each year at Cobblecot in accordance to his/her abilities and potentials). A short list of supplies is also enclosed, along with your rooming assignments.

"We are very excited to see you here ASAP at Cobblecot, and may your future be bright and successful!

Sarah Silesia Stenford, Hedmaster

Sarah Silesia Stenford

"Oh how wonderful! How personal they make that letter!" Cora chirped at the heels of her daughters robotic words. Funny how Gabriel thought the exact opposite.

"You didn't tell me…" Aster started to say.

"Oh shush Bunny Bear! Isn't it wonderful?"

"We didn't talk about this!" He said standing to his feet.

"What's to talk about?" she said with her grin that commanded authority but got none.

"This school, Cora, we need to talk about this school," he said in a calm tone.

"It's a wonderful school! Simply wonderful! I loved it there. Didn't you go there Sendak?"

"Honey!" said Aster.

"I mean it was very hard to get her in," she went on talking to everyone, not hearing her husband.

"Cora," he raised his voice.

"I mean her birthday wasn't till after school, and all their student's MUST be eleven to be enrolled and start classes. They must have a wand you see."

"Cora, please!" he began to shout.

"But I got her IN! Shes just going to start a little late is all. But they'll get you all caught up! YAY!"

"I AM TALKING TO YOU!"

She said nothing, but smiled like she had before, glaring at him with those horrid eyes. "We are going to talk about this…later. Later," she said lowering her head like she had before to Gabriel and to Grandma, with her growing grin, her darkening eyes.

"Am I going to Cobblecot, Daddy?" poor Lyla asked with tears in her eyes.

"We are going to talk about it," He said sternly, answering the question to his wife who just kept smiling. Then she broke her gaze and turned to Axel.

"Didn't you go to Cobblecot?" she squeaked as if nothing happened. It was truly amazing how nothing really broke her giddiness.

"No," he said flatly.

"Not really a surprise," she said insulting him, "a brute like you. But Byron went right? Got an education?"

"Nope," he said slouching backward in the couch, smug.

She hesitated. "Gabriel?"

"Homeschooled," he said just as flatly as Axel.

"William, you must have."

"Sorry, no."

"Tyler?"

"No."

"Vin? Cyris?"

Both boys shook their heads. She moved from face to face, each one as cold as the next, each as emotionless as the next.

"Well," she finally said, "this has been so fun! But I think we should get going. Aster, grab Dewy. Lyra, pick up your things, we are leaving." No one moved.

"No Cora," said Aster.

"What?" she said coldly.

"It is Lyra's birthday, and we are spending it with the family," he said with a smile, his bright personality untouched by her coldness. Gabriel felt himself laugh.

"What?" she said again.

"We are staying! All of us." He took up Lyla in his arms and held her while she blushed, laughing. "Now, let's go try out that new broom."

Everyone was on their feet. Cyris and Vin launched up and headed back into the dining room and into the kitchen. Grandpa picked up the broom and handed it to the laughing birthday girl, and everyone else filed out the grand French doors to the back patio, even Cora came out. Cyris and Vin were already out on the brick pathway with brooms of their own. Vin's was even more curved with a flattened area for a seat, but with shorter bristles that made it look rather quick. Cyris' broom was much more strait but with long bristles and a shorter staff. The front end of the wood was curved downward rather strangely. Both of theirs were different colors than Lyla's but both had the same silver lettering with their names on one side and another word or two on the other.

"Now you know how it works right?" Grandpa said to Lyra as Aster put her down.

"Yeah," she shouted confidently.

"You go first Lyra, so the boys can catch you if you fall!" said Brian. Every one laughed as Lyra glared at him.

She mounted the green broom, looking so perfect in it that it would have made you sigh and smile, and almost whispered the words, "Sea Foam." The green wood sparked to life and everyone gasped in amazement. Then, suddenly looking serious, she tightened her grip on the staff, wiggled her body in anticipation and kicked off the ground.

"She's never even flown before," Aster said in awe as his tiny daughter took to the sky. She was a natural. First she soared fifty or sixty feet into the sky at a strait angle toward the distant mountains, then, just like a pro, pulled upward on the wood, and made a back flip into a diving position and shot down toward the forest below.

Cyris and Vin were already airborne, Gabriel hadn't even seen them take off. Lyra met them in the air and together, the three of them soar through the clouds in a perfect triangle. They twisted and circled, dove and shot up, every movement with such ease, such precision, like magic.

Slowly, Gabriel made out the differences of their techniques and movements. Vin, turned much tighter and quicker than Cyris or Lyra. He didn't reach very high speeds, but he sure could handle every twist and turn Lyra would throw at him. Cyris, however, was a speed demon. He would shoot past the others, moving so fast, you could hardly see him. He almost fell out of the sky twice, but with practiced hands, maneuvered the broom back under him and shot forward like he had planned it. Lyra, taking it much slower than either of them, looked more nervous than excited at times. Three times, she made a complete stop, just to turn all the way around, but then would shoot forward with amazing acceleration. Very soon, she moved just like Cyris, with Vin's confidence.

Just when Cyris began to slow down out of creeping boredom, a huge, black ball, the size of a pumpkin shot strait toward him, and he managed to shoot out of the way before it crashed into his side. With a nervous laugh, he turned toward the house, searching from where the ball had come from, and with a booming laugh, Axel shot into view, wielding a four-foot long bat. He pushed his way past Vin on a short, flattened broom, a perfect Beater's broom, and smacked the incoming bludger with the force of a truck.

"Where's the snitch!" Cyris cried, and right on cue, a golden ball of light, shot past his head. He turned hard and launched toward the speeding, almost invisible, snitch. Now Byron flew in on his true Chaser's broom, quaffle in hand, and soon Brian, Sendak, Aster, Maple and Violet got out their brooms, and even Tyler got to use one of Axel's old brooms. Soon, a mini quidditch game was set over the dead orchard.

The teams were set pretty easy. Vin, Cyris, Byron, Sendak, Maple, and Brian on one team, Lyla, Violet, Aster, a shivering Tyler, and Axel on the other.

Byron took up the role of Chaser with Brian as second, Sendak Beater, Maple Keeper, Vin second Beater, and Cyris called Seeker. On the other team, Tyler agreed to be second Chaser after Aster, Violet volunteered to be Keeper, which her husband laughed at, while Axel would be the only Beater, and Lyra agreed to be Seeker.

Grandpa pitched the quaffle and a quick Brian grabbed it out of the air. A moment later, Axel knocked him off his broom, and Tyler fumbled with the ball. He tossed it to Aster who easily got it past Maple who was protecting a makeshift ring. Brian moved quickly to the ring when Axel knocked him down as well, and this time, Tyler took off toward the rings with the ball. Vin knocked into him, but Aster was just below, grabbed the quaffle, and pushed it through. 20 Axel, 0 Byron. Byron got the quaffle, Sendak blocked an incoming bludger, and made 10 points.

Meanwhile, Cyris had spotted the snitch, but so had Lyra. It was taking them deep through the woods, where Cyris' more practiced abilities moved him through unscathed. Lyra however, shot above the tree line, watching as Cyris' bronze hair sparkled through the trees, dodging the branches. The snitch shot strait up and past Lyra's golden hair, and back toward the field. She came to a stop, turned all the way around and launched toward the gold light. Cyris shot up through the trees and took off toward her, gaining very slowly.

Byron scored 30 more points which put his team in the lead. Brian, had a bloody nose already from one of Axel's bludgers, and Tyler had fallen off twice, thankfully without injury, and was having the time of his life. Violet called for a switch, and gave Tyler a rest, placing him as Keeper now. Aster threw her the quaffle, and they passed it back and forth and Byron and Brian tried to snatch it. Even Byron's professional hands couldn't get a hold of it. 10 more points to Axel's team. 30. 40. Though Byron and Brian were the better Chasers, Axel and Tyler made an amazing defensive team. Tyler decided he liked Keeper much better when he blocked Byron's first weak shot. Byron, much to excited to be shooting on his newbie cousin, lobbed a rather pathetic toss, and Tyler snatched it out of the sky. Axel was knocking the ball out of the two Chasers hands every time the ball got to them, and Violet and Aster made quite good Chasers. There was no stopping them, and soon it was 110 Axel's team, 90 Byron's. But that all changed. Byron pulled out all the stops, and got Tyler distracted while Brian scored 20 more points. Suddenly everything fell apart. Aster got knocked down, his ear bleeding from Sendak's bludger, and Violet down when Byron swiped at her with his broom. 30 more points. Distracted, Axel was overtaken by both Sendak and Vin, who sent both bludgers at him, and Tyler was left defenseless. 30, 40, 50 points scored before Axel could get his team back together. 250 Byron, 180 Axel.

"WE COULD DO THIS ALL DAY, BUT HOW ABOUT THAT SNITCH?" Byron shouted as Vin's blurry image shot through the pitch, Lyra right on his tail.

"YA! ANYTIME YOU WANT! NO HURRY THOUGH!" Brian scoffed and they both laughed.

"IT'S WAY TO FAST!" said Cyris as they passed through the pitch again.

"NO IT'S NOT!" Maple mocked him, "THAT'S A BEGINNERS SNITCH! C'MON!"

"GO LYRA!" shouted Tyler and Violet, and go she went, both of them out of breath.

Lyra shot passed Cyris on a harsh turn, her green dress shining in the afternoon sunlight, and pulled way out in front of him. The snitch began to climb and Lyra flew overtop of it, making an attempt to come down on the small ball. Cyris made a quick move to catch up, but it had already happened. Lyra spun upside down, and all at once, pulled the snitch out of the air, and spun right side up.

"I GOT IT!" She shouted.

Lyra had won! Lyra won for them, and they all knew it. 280 Axel's team, 250 Byron's. That was it. The entire family went ballistic, shouting and screaming. Even Cora screamed in shock for her daughter. Lyla came down to the patio and hugged her mom who was holding back tears, and Aster hugged her from behind. Then her teammates came down and each hugged her, Axel throwing her up into the air like she was a rag doll.

"MORE CAKE! FOR THE BIRTHDAY GIRL AND THE BEST SEEKER IN THE WORLD!" shouted Irs and even Byron, trying to hide his smile that gave him away joined in on the celebration. Grandma got more cake for anyone who wanted it, and everyone sat out on the patio. The adults sat in chairs under funny umbrellas and the smaller ones sat down by the long pool, their feet playing in the cool water, and Axel, Byron, Vin, Cyris, William, Tyler and Gabriel sat on the brick staircase between the two groups.

Gabriel watched as Tyler talked about his firs time ridding a broom, Byron giving him a few tips, William was talking to Vin and Axel about his life in the muggle world, and Cyris sat starring up at Gabriel.

"You're a pretty good seeker," said Gabriel. Cyris snickered sarcastically. "Of course what do I know?" That made the boy smile.

They sat there rather quietly for a while, not needing to say anything. Gabriel liked Cyris, and Cyris decided he liked Gabriel.

"How about some fireworks?" said Grandpa after a while.

"Fireworks! Lets have ourselves a grand spectacle!" said Maple, who hadn't really said anything the whole night.

"Gabriel's awesome at fireworks," said William. Gabriel tried to shake his head.

"You are? We should have a battle. Duel it out," said Maple, excited that someone shared his passion for things that exploded. "See who can impress and who…can not." He gave a wide grin.

"Oh I'm not that good," said Gabriel, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah he is," said Tyler who turned to the rest of the crowed. "You should have seen our fourth of July party. Truly fantastic."

Truly fantastic? Since when did Tyler add that to his vocabulary? Tyler felt himself rather proper, being with right true wizards and all.

"Let's see it then!" Maple clang like a fanfare. Gabriel smiled, happy and hopeful about the attention and ran upstairs to get his wand. When he came back down, the patio was all abuzz. The Family sat in rows of chairs that had been set up, some by the pool and in the lawn and some up against the house. Gabriel walked through the iron gates, down the brick staircase to the pool and up to his cousins who were all circled around Lyla, still celebrating her first quidditch game.

"Ya ready?" asked Tyler, sounding like himself. "Maple looks pretty serious." He said that with a laugh. Maple stood beyond the fence in the middle of the dead orchard, stretching and twisting his entire body, looking much to serious.

"Does he do this professionally or something?" said Gabriel with a laugh.

"No it's just a hobby," said Grandpa from behind him. "But you will do just fine. I'm sure." He smiled at the boy and took a seat next to Axel.

"Let's go Gabriel!" "Yeah Gabriel!" everyone began to shout as he met Maple in the clearing. "KICK HIS SMOKING BUTT GABRIEL!" Jasmine shouted from out of no place.

"Age before beauty, my good man," said Maple to the boy, standing aside. Gabriel took a deep breath, a wide stance, cracked his neck and raised his wand.

And just before the words forming on his lips could escape, and old, raspy voice shouted "EXPELIARMUS!" and Gabriel fell back, wand flying off some place, and spotted Grandpa, standing up, wand in hand, pointed at the boy.