Chapter 11:
Summer comprised of the Rosenwalds and Weasleys moving between their houses through the floo network. The Rosenwald children once snuck in with a sack of floo powder and, behind the Weasleys back, refilled their floo powder pot, decorated and given to them by the Rosenwald children. The three children were gone before anyone could notice or tell them off. The Weasley children had turned up not a few hours later laughing at their friends antics.
"Well we use it just as much as you do so it's only natural we refill it here or there." Skylar shrugged
"Mum's gonna be all a tither." Ginny giggled.
The Weasley twins and Nick gained their Hogwarts letters for their second year. The two families moved off to Diagon Alley, organising to go together in order to get the new school books. The second visit to the wizard alleyway was as exciting as the first as they had more time to visit other places now. Leon and Ron spent a substantial amount of time in Quality Quidditch Supplies while Ginny and Skylar were found in the Emporium pouring over the kittens and owls. The twins and Nick were found in the Joke shop and Percy and Charlie seemed the only ones who seemed to take the time to be productive.
"By the way, how did Charlie go?" Skylar asked when the children had been rounded up by their parents and taken to Flourish and Blotts to get their new books.
"Seemed he did well, he's going for his last year after all and gets to continue his subjects." Fred shrugged
"Then he can run off the second he finishes." George agreed.
"Run off?" Leon asked confused
"He wants to go to Romania."
"To work with the dragons?" Skylar remembered and the Weasleys all nodded.
"It'll be weird when he's gone, it'll be just us." Ron thought
"Yeah with Percy being the oldest." Nick put a hand on the twins' shoulders. "Good luck." they rolled their eyes.
"Bill's in Egypt right?" Leon said and the children all nodded.
"Ahh well, less brothers to worry about when you get there Ron." Skylar chuckled and Ron sighed
"Not enough."
The two families met back up briefly at Kings Cross when Nick and the twins went back off to Hogwarts for their second year with Percy who was going into his fourth and Charlie who was heading for his last.
The train left at exactly eleven o'clock with no delays and the Rosenwalds headed off for lunch before heading home.
September turned into October and brought along Skylar's eleventh birthday. She woke up in the morning to a small pile of presents at the end of her large bed. She sat and tore the paper off of them in excitement before getting up, dressed and heading down the stairs for breakfast.
"Happy Birthday Skylar." Dominique kissed the top of her daughter's head fondly as Leon came down and hugged his sister.
"Happy eleventh birthday." he grinned.
They ate breakfast and Skylar was surprised by her parents when they began to talk about a party.
"What?" she asked surprised
"It's not every day you turn eleven, Skylar." Dominique smirked.
"But—"
"We did it for Nicholas and we'll do it for you as well." Nathaniel said "We've had most of the guests reply that they're coming."
"You've already invited people?" Leon said
"Of course." the parents smiled and the children looked surprised and then grinned.
"Are the Weasleys coming?"
"Along with many others yes." Nathaniel nodded
"Did you… invite the Malfoys and all them?" Skylar asked skeptically
"We did." Nathaniel nodded
"Are they coming?" Leon asked annoyed
"They are."
The two sighed in disappointment.
"It's polite. And I don't need Lucius running around after my tail when he finds out he didn't get an invite." Nathaniel confessed
"It's just for the night," Dominique assured.
And so, that afternoon the Rosenwald estate was primped and preened to perfection. Midori ran around cleaning the kitchen spotless and readying the ballroom, hooks were prepared in the entrance hall to hang up travelling cloaks and everything was decorated for Skylar's birthday. Mounds of food was cooked for the guests to indulge in and butterbeer, firewhisky, champagne and wines were set up along with some water and pumpkin juice. Tables were covered in ornate table clothes in the ballroom and the lights were all set up outside in the garden.
Skylar was found in her bedroom close to the evening as her mother braided and curled her hair, adding jewelled pins and clips to hold it all in place while the girl herself wore a set of light blue dress robes. Her mother had silver which matched her auburn hair and pale skin perfectly.
Leon was dressed in bottled green robes and his father in deep midnight blue.
People arrived by apparition down the lane and moved up the driveway to the front door where Midori greeted the guests and took their cloaks. She did the same for any who wished to arrive by Floo powder and had them all cleaned up of soot before they even left the kitchen.
Skylar stood by the door to the entrance of the ballroom and greeted everyone. Dominique offered them drinks as bottles were floating around offering refills and Skylar took all the gifts she received to put them on another table which was piling higher and higher with each guest.
"Skylar!" Ginny squealed as she ran forwards in red robes just as bright and brilliant as her hair which was tied backwards. "Happy Birthday!"
"Thanks!"
"Happy birthday dear." Mrs Weasley said as she, Ron and Mr Weasley joined their daughter. She handed Skylar a gift who beamed.
"Thank you!"
The Malfoys appeared and Skylar greeted them properly as she should and took the rather large present from Draco before they moved to address the Greengrass' and some of the workers from the Ministry who were invited.
"Ah, Augusta, so lovely you could make it." Dominique addressed a rather elderly witch, she was rather formidable looking. She was tall, thin and bony and wearing a hat with a stuffed vulture on it while carrying a bright red handbag.
"Dominique, so lovely for you to invite us." she said to the younger women. "I don't know if you'd have remembered, it has been a long time, my grandson, Neville." with her was round-faced boy, short, chubby, and with blond hair. He was also somewhat buck-toothed.
"Nice to meet you Neville. Dominique." the women said holding out her hand and the boy took it. "I did meet you when you were a little tucker, I worked with your parents." she admitted "I hope they're doing as well as they can." Neville nodded mutely.
"Ahh, as you say, as well as they can do, Doctors don't know if it'll improve however." Augusta said.
"Such a sad things that transpired, but avenged and very brave." Dominique nodded "Neville, this is my daughter Skylar. As I am to recall you'll be going to Hogwarts together." Neville turned to the auburn haired girl who grinned.
"Nice to meet you Neville." she said holding out her hand.
"Nice to meet you." he managed to get out, though rather jumpy, as he shook her hand. He then held out a gift. "Happy Birthday." she grinned
"Thank you." and Neville hurried off after his grandmother who had spotted someone she knew.
"You do know a lot of people mother." Skylar whispered
"It's the job association." Dominique smiled. Skylar chuckled before she turned back for the doorway and then beamed.
"Remus!" the girl flung herself into the man's arms and he chuckled at her antics. The man himself held a pale face with premature lines, and light brown hair that, though he was only young still, was streaked with grey. The robes he wore were shabby and patched and he was quite tall, standing at about six feet. "You came!" Skylar grinned up at him.
Remus Lupin smiled. "Well of course I did, I couldn't miss your eleventh birthday now could I?" and he handed her a gift. She beamed at it and began to open it, regardless of the fact she hadn't opened any of the others. Inside sat a small intricate silver bangle and Skylar beamed at it.
"Something a little home made." Lupin assured when she looked slightly guilty that he'd spent on her. Skylar grinned and pulled it from it's box to put the bangle on her wrist and placed the box on the table with the other gifts.
"Lupin!" Leon came forwards and greeted the man before Dominique and Nathaniel were given the option, instantly moving into a deep conversation with him.
Everyone sung happy birthday to Skylar who cut the cake before Midori distributed the pieces around to the guests.
It was late into the evening when people began to leave the way they came. The Weasleys were one of the final families to go and Skylar stopped them.
"Oh please, wont you stay?"
"Stay?" Mrs Weasley asked
"Yes!" Ginny grinned
"Ginny can sleep with Skylar and we've plenty of room for you all to sleep!" Leon agreed
The Weasley parents tried to disagree but it seemed their children were insistent, when the Rosenwald parents held no argument to them staying they gave in and agreed to do so.
The following morning saw Ginny and Skylar in Skylar's rom which looked as though a bomb had exploded. The two had happily indulged in unwrapping Skylar's many presents. They consisted of clothes, books, jewellery and a rather real looking toy Phoenix.
"What's going on?" Leon opened the door as the girls were laughing at the phoenix that flew around the room before he jumped backwards as the thing hissed past his nose. The girls laughed harder as Ron appeared.
"Looks like a tornado swept through." he said as the girls chuckled.
The Weasleys all stayed for breakfast before departing before lunch time, all thanking the Rosenwalds for the invite to the party and for allowing them to stay the night.
Christmas rocked around quickly and Nicholas was back home for the holidays. In replacement for having been invited the previous year the Rosenwalds invited the Weasleys around. They had a glorious Christmas dinner of the usual roasts and puddings. It snowed that Christmas as well and the Weasley and Rosenwald children found themselves out in the large Rosenwald garden building snowmen, throwing snowballs, playing Quidditch on the mini pitch the Rosenwalds had and Ron and Leon had a go at the giant chess set outside, the children clearing them of the snow. They were so frosty however that the giant pieces looked slightly ominous.
"But Wizard chess is violent?" Fred said
"They've got a spell that fixes them all back up when they're done." Skylar assured.
"Of course." the twins muttered earning a laugh from Nick.
The Christmas holidays ended and Skylar and Leon were left alone as Nick had to return to school. Skylar however was overjoyed, as in just half a year she'd be off to Hogwarts finally.
"I'm eleven and I'll get my letter and get to go on train." she listed excitedly
"While Leon and I will just have to go on excursions to keep us entertained." Dominique smiled to her son who didn't know whether he was okay with this or not.
"I wanna go too mum."
"You will Leon."
"But not for ages."
"It's only a year." Skylar said "This year felt like it zipped past."
They passed Nicholas' birthday, sending him gifts as they had the last year and also Leon's. They went out for lunch and went to the beach as the weather began to warm up before going home. Midori made a glamorous dinner followed by a large chocolate cake who's left overs lasted the next few days.
June arrived and Nick returned from school, along with several letters as to the disturbances he and the Weasley twins had caused over the year.
Dominique was not impressed and Skylar and Leon hid behind the banisters that looked over the entrance hall as their mother's voice sounded up through the entire large mansion.
"I don't think I've ever heard mum so angry." Leon whispered
"I think it's more disappointed." Skylar added quietly.
"Think Dad'll start going?" Leon wondered
"I think Dad did worse when he was Nick's age, that's clearly where he got it from."
"What about us?"
"Let's hope we're smart like mum." Skylar mumbled and Leon chuckled as their mother's voice sounded again.
"Don't you think she's a little over doing it?" Leon asked
"Well they did bewitch a corridor and cause people to sink to their knees and get stuck." Skylar reminded his brother.
"Those twins are a bad influence on you!" Dominique's voce sounded from the living room.
"Who said it was their idea!" Nicholas responded.
Skylar and Leon shared an unsure look.
