This story takes place well after the Harry Potter and his generation of students have left Hogwarts. ElfFlame and I had created several sets of children from the various stories we've written, and since they were all around the same age, decided to throw them into school together. So this is a story, hopefully soon to be a series of stories based on several others. To help make more sense of these stories, it may help to read my story, De Die In Diem: From Day to Day, and ElfFlame's stories, Dragon's Tears, and Lost Love. Most of the kids come from those. We've also created many original kids not from our stories to help fill the ranks. Many of their last names may sound familiar to you. ElfFlame has files of the names and basic family trees of some of the children for all who are interested in finding out more background on these kids. Email her at ElfFlamehotmail.com if you want them. We hope you enjoy these, we've been having lots of fun thinking about them!
Disclaimer: You know the usual, all of this world is JK's, and we thank her for letting us borrow it. Only the original characters are ours!
Dating Teecie-2
After Teecie's day off, she was rested and feeling better and ready for her next date. Draco had arranged for her to meet with Joseph Gatewood that evening. Joseph had written to Teecie and told her to wear a nice dress for their date.
Teecie sat in the parlour, wearing her dark blue evening dress and matching slippers when Joseph arrived. She smiled as he handed her a bouquet of flowers. Teecie looked and saw a bright yellow sunflower in the centre of a sea of white daisies. She thanked him and handed the flowers to the butler while taking Joseph's arm.
Joseph led Teecie to a black limousine that was waiting to take them to dinner. They were driven to a restaurant in town that Teecie had never been to before. The Eastern Eye, an Indian restaurant, looked like a fun place to eat. Draco looked skeptical about having to eat there, but didn't stop them from going.
Joseph got a table for two that he and Teecie shared, while Draco sat at a table several feet from them, out of earshot. Teecie liked the restaurant. It was brightly painted and had a beautiful ceiling to gaze at. They poured through the menu which was full of foods she had never tried before. It was all so exotic, she didn't know what to order. In the end, she tried the Lamb Dhansak, lamb with a curry sauce, served with lentils and spices. Joseph ordered the Chicken Chandan, tandoori chicken with chilies, garlic, mint, and cilantro.
Teecie enjoyed her lamb and lentils while getting to know Joseph better. He was 20, but had been a Slytherin while in school. He worked in the Improper Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic, and enjoyed his job very much. He lived in a flat in London where he was able to walk to and from work.
Teecie felt very young compared to him. She had nothing special to share about herself with him. Teecie gazed at Joseph while eating. He was a very handsome man, with wavy red hair and freckles on his nose. He had a nice smile, and friendly green eyes. Teecie couldn't understand why he wasn't already married. When she hinted at this, Joseph smiled and explained. "I just enjoy being single. But, my parents are older, pretty old-fashioned, and want me to be married and having a family. I don't want that right now, but I do things like this to make them happy. To keep them from annoying me really. It's a small price to pay, and it's fun too. I'll settle down some day, when I find the right person."
Teecie told him that it was kind of him to do that to make his parents happy. She told him that if they were closer in age, she'd definitely be interested in seeing him again. Joseph smiled and said he would have enjoyed that. They continued to talk for over an hour before they left the restaurant.
On the limo ride back to the Manor, Joseph and Teecie kept talking and laughing. Both really felt it was a shame there was such an age difference. Joseph kept wishing Teecie was only four years older, so she'd be of age. Then he started to think he was a dirty old man and made himself stop thinking like that. When he said this out loud, it made Teecie laugh until tears streamed down her face. They were talking quietly enough so that Draco had no idea what was so hilarious, but wasn't sure if he liked Teecie acting that way in public.
Once back at the Manor, Joseph kissed Teecie's hand and wished her luck at school, while she wished him luck at the Ministry before he drove off again. When Draco asked how it had gone, she told him they'd had lots of fun, but there was too much of an age difference to see each other again. Draco nodded his head as he lead his sister inside. He'd been nervous about that from the start, but hadn't said anything, though he was glad that they weren't going to see one another again.
The next morning, Teecie received a note from her date, while she ate her French toast. She read it out loud. It was from Zeren, and he'd be taking her to the Hogsmeade Magical Fair in a couple hours. "Oh Draco, a fair!" Teecie cried when she'd finished the note.
Draco didn't look too happy to have to go to a fair, and seeing the looks on his children's faces didn't help much. "Can we go to the fair too, Da?" Liss asked excitedly, wriggling in her seat.
"Let's go to the fair!" Roo shouted, jumping down from his chair and running around the table.
"Yay, a fair!" Mel cried, grinning at her father.
Tanith looked expectantly at her husband. Draco knew he'd been outnumbered. Sighing and shaking his head, he spoke, "Let's all go to the fair." The kids cheered more loudly with this and ran to their rooms to get dressed for the day.
Teecie smiled at Draco. "It'll be fun!" She said. "Well, as much fun as going out with Zeren can possibly be, though he was much nicer than I thought he would be," She continued.
"Just be careful what you say to him. Zeren's not one to mess with," Draco replied, looking concerned. Teecie wasn't the most prudent of people. She needed to learn to control what she said to others. But he was glad that she'd accepted Zeren's invitation for a date. Zeren would be a good match for Teecie. He'd be able to provide for her, and their children would enjoy the best that life could buy, if it ever went that far. "Make sure to take your parasol today! I don't want to have to scrape you up off the ground again!" Draco called to his sister while she walked to her room.
Teecie spent a while planning what she was going to wear to the fair. It was a hot day out, so she chose a pair of forest green shorts, and a pink tank top. After picking up her parasol and handbag, Teecie left the room to floo with the family to the Three Broomsticks where she'd be meeting Zeren.
The pub was packed with people going to the fair. Teecie looked around for Zeren and waved when she finally spotted him. Zeren nodded and attempted to walk towards her while she and her family tried to move towards him. Meeting somewhere in the middle of the pub, Zeren greeted Teecie. "Well, don't you look...nice," He said, sounding as though he didn't really mean it. Putting his hand on her elbow, Zeren began to lead Teecie out of the crowded pub.
The fair was a short walk from the pub. Teecie and Zeren walked behind Draco, Tanith, and the kids, who were pulling their parent's hands to get them to walk faster. As the two kids walked side-by-side, Teecie tried to think of something to say to Zeren. Zeren looked at the parasol Teecie was holding. "Nice parasol," He said, "It matches your shirt."
"Thank you. Pink is my favourite colour," Teecie said, smiling happily.
Zeren smiled and looked over towards Draco, who kept stealing glances over his shoulder to make sure everything was going well.
"So, I've never been to a Magical fair before. What makes it different from a Muggle fair?" Teecie asked, looking curiously at Zeren.
"What? What do you mean you've never been to a Magical fair before?" Zeren asked incredulously. He had so much to teach Teecie. She was obviously lacking in a proper education, which made Zeren wonder how Draco had allowed her parents to raise her that way. As the head of his family, Draco surely would have control over how his sisters were raised. "Well, where to begin? Let's see..." Zeren told her all about the fair and what would be there. He liked knowing more than Teecie. He found he enjoyed enlightening her in the ways of the Wizarding world. He knew she'd spent most of her life in the Muggle world, poor girl, and needed to get caught up.
They arrived at the fairgrounds just as Zeren had just finished telling Teecie about what attractions would be at the fair. Draco came over to them and told them that they'd be expected to check in with him every two hours at the food court. They were to be on their best behaviour the whole time. Zeren assured his Head of house that he'd keep Teecie safe and happy.
When Draco had left with his family, Teecie turned to Zeren. "Well? What should we do first?" She asked. "Rides?" Smiling, Zeren led her to the rides. They rode on the carousel, where Teecie sat upon the enchanted figure of a unicorn that leaped and bounded while galloping in a circle, while Zeren rode on an enchanted flying Hippogriff. The carousel had no canopy and the animals walked, flew, slithered, and ran in circles, ovals, or whatever shapes they felt like while pipe organ music played. Teecie laughed the entire time.
Next was a turn on the ferris wheel. Teecie was nervous, because it went so high up in the air, but Zeren held her arm tightly the entire time. There was a steering wheel inside so each compartment was able to rotate in any direction the riders wanted while it moved up and down in a circle. Zeren moved them around slowly in gentle circles while they were being lifted higher up, until everybody looked like small specks below them. Teecie stifled a scream by burying her head on Zeren's shoulder. They continued for several rotations around before they came back to the ground as the ride ended. Zeren helped Teecie out of her seat. "That was so scary!" She said as they walked to the next ride, "But way cool!" Zeren smiled to see how much she was enjoying herself.
The two had just finished riding on the roller coaster when it was time to check in with Draco for the first time. After walking to the food stalls, they looked around for him. Teecie spotted him at a stall buying candy apples for the kids, and started towards him, Zeren walking behind her. "So, are you two having fun?" Draco asked when they approached him.
"I am, are you?" Teecie said, turning to Zeren.
Zeren smiled politely. "Yes, I'm having a great time," He replied, looking at Professor Black.
"That's good to hear, well go off and have some more fun, then," Draco replied, watching as the two turned around and started wandering away.
"Do you want to eat yet?" Zeren asked. When Teecie said yes, they walked around the food stalls, looking for good food. Zeren bought Teecie a bag of popcorn, a Cornish pasty, and a glass of lemonade, while he bought a cheeseburger, crisps, and a Butterbeer. There were lots of tables under umbrellas to sit at, so they found the closest one and sat down to eat. They talked as they ate. Teecie asked Zeren what additional classes he'd be taking next year. She was excited to hear they'd both be taking Runes, but wasn't too sure what Arithmancy was, though she told him it was sure to be very interesting. Zeren couldn't understand why Teecie would want to work with dirty beasts in her Care of Magical Creatures class, but knew she lived on a farm and it probably had to do with the commonplace habits she'd picked up there.
Once they'd finished their food, they walked over to the games. Zeren decided he needed to win Teecie at least one prize. The first booth had small bowls of water with tiny aquatic creatures in them. The object was to throw small balls into the bowls and get them to stay. If any of them stayed in the water without bouncing back out again, the person won the bowl and its contents. Zeren paid the man in charge and took the handful of small foam balls and began tossing them towards the bowls. Zeren grew more and more frustrated as Teecie watched him throwing the balls. Every one managed to bounce back out of the bowls again. Fortunately, the very last one stayed in the bowl. Teecie beamed at Zeren as the man running the booth picked up the bowl and handed it to him. Zeren smiled proudly as he turned to Teecie and held the bowl out to her.
"Thank you, Zeren!" She squealed, peering into the bowl. Teecie expected to see a goldfish or a tadpole, but what she saw was much more interesting than that. It was a seahorse, but a real one, not those things Muggles called "seahorses". It was a small horse about three inches long, with gills along it's sides, and four webbed feet. Every once in a while it would toss it's head and send it's long flowing mane floating around in the water. Teecie watched as it opened it's mouth and bubbles came out of it. The small bubbles floated to the surface of the water and as they popped, the sounds of whinnying filled her ears. "Cool!" She said, smiling at Zeren.
The next stall had many glass bottles enchanted to float in the air. Zeren paid the woman working in the stall, who handed him several large balls to throw at the bottles. The object was to hit and break as many bottles as possible. Prizes were based on the amount of bottles broken.
As Zeren threw the first ball, the bottles started to fly around madly. The ball managed to hit two bottles in the process. By the time all the balls had been thrown, Zeren had broken eight bottles. The woman showed him the prizes he could choose from. There were enchanted dolls that cried and talked, broomsticks, and stuffed animals among other things. Zeren chose a cuddly pink teddy bear that he would have died if he'd had to keep for himself, but knew that Teecie would love. Teecie beamed as she took the bear and held it.
Struggling to hold her handbag, parasol, the teddy bear, and the bowl with the seahorse, Teecie walked arm-in-arm with Zeren. They were talking and laughing when they turned the corner of a stall and came face-to-face with Lisette and her father. Teecie, Zeren, and Lisette stared silently at each other, shocked to see one another there. After several moments of awkward silence, Teecie turned to Lisette's father and spoke. "So, it's good to see you again, Mr. Crabbe. I haven't seen you since the dinner party last year."
"Yes, and it's nice to see you again too, Miss Orendes. You look as though you're having a lot of fun today. Mr. Travers, it's good to see you," Mr. Crabbe said, turning to Zeren.
"Yes, you too," He replied, avoiding making eye contact with Lisette.
Lisette couldn't stay quiet any longer. Stepping in front of Teecie, she looked at her carefully before speaking. "Well, well, well, imagine seeing you here today. With my boyfriend. I wonder what your boyfriend would think if he saw you here. Who did you come with? His family or yours? Did your wonderful brother or your infamous father take you?"
Teecie looked at Lisette, unsure of what to say. Anthony or Marius must have told her after the party about her family. "I came with Draco and his family. And I've been having a wonderful time here with your boyfriend. In fact, I believe he's been having a fun time too, right Zeren?" Teecie asked, looking up at Zeren.
"The best time ever," He replied, glaring at Lisette. He smiled as Lisette's eyes flashed with anger. Looking at Teecie, he said, "We should get going."
Teecie started to walk away with Zeren after saying goodbye to Mr. Crabbe. "Oh Teecie, give my regards to your brother. And do be sure to ask your father why he's been hiding away on your farm for such a long time. I'm sure he's got some interesting tales to tell," Lisette called out to Teecie.
Teecie shook her head as she continued to walk away with Zeren. "What is her problem? I never did anything to her," She said quietly.
"She just wants to be the most popular person at school, and she attacks anybody who threatens that," Zeren replied, tightening his grip of Teecie's arm. "Just ignore her," He advised, leading her back to the food stalls where they were to meet Draco soon.
Zeren and Teecie were sharing a large cloud of fluffy pink candy floss on a stick when Draco found them. Teecie showed him the seahorse and teddy bear Zeren had won for her. He seemed impressed. They joined Draco and the family to see some of the events at the fair.
After walking to the grandstand, they sat down to watch the dueling competition. Competitors went up against each other and tried to beat the other. The crowd watched with rapt attention as they faced off. They cheered the winners and politely applauded for the losers.
Once the dueling competition had ended, there was another contest, for the children: Gnome tossing. All the school-aged children from the stands were invited to participate. Teecie joined in while everybody else watched. Zeren flatly refused to join in saying that only common-folk did things like that. Teecie snorted and rolled her eyes before putting all her stuff in his arms and running down to the where the other kids were gathering, before Draco could stop her. They were divided up by age group and gender. Teecie joined the group of 13 to 15 year old girls. There were seven of them. Each group took their turns, starting from the youngest and moving up in age.
Teecie was nervous about all the people who were looking down at her from the stands. She held onto her gnome tightly while it struggled against her, and took deep breaths to stay calm. When her group's turn came, they all lined up and tossed their gnomes. Teecie's went quite far, but one other girl's went farther. She was still excited to take the red second place ribbon she'd won back to her family.
Draco and Zeren shook their heads silently while Tanith, Liss, and Mel politely congratulated her. Roo, on the other hand, clapped his hands excitedly and kissed Teecie's cheek for winning.
The family walked around for a while afterwards and looked at all the displays. There were magical cooking and cleaning demonstrations, of people showing off new products to buy. There were a few book signings with famous authors. One line in particular was extremely long and filled with girls and women. Teecie could barely see the man they were waiting for, though she could see he was wearing fancy lavender robes and had wavy blonde hair. When Draco saw who it was, he grimaced and quickly led his family away without saying anything.
It was late afternoon and the children were growing tired. Teecie wanted to go see the agricultural displays of the local magical farmers, but was vetoed by Draco, saying it was time to go home.
Everybody walked back to the Three Broomsticks where Zeren would be flooing to his home. Trying to get some privacy, Zeren led Teecie away from the family to say goodbye to her. After kissing her hand, he asked if she'd be interested in going out again. Teecie blushed, but smiled and said yes before saying goodbye and flooing back to Black Manor with her family.
Teecie had spent a wonderful day at the fair. She spent the rest of her evening researching seahorses and what to feed them.
Teecie slept in the next morning, and woke up to find a letter from Owen Fairfax, her date for the day. He'd be taking her for a walk and a picnic and told her to dress accordingly. Teecie's stomach fluttered and the throbbing in her abdomen returned as she thought about Owen. She floated around, as though in a dream for the rest of the day, until it was time to change for her date.
Teecie changed into a pair of blue shorts and a green tank top, put on her salt water sandals, picked up her handbag and parasol, and went to the parlour to meet Owen.
Owen was waiting for her when she arrived. Smiling shyly, he stood up and held out a handful of violets to her. Teecie thanked him before handing them to the butler to put in water. Taking her by the arm, Owen led Teecie out of the house, down the stairs, and onto the sidewalk, where they were to stroll through town before going to a store to buy their dinner. Draco walked about half a block behind them.
Both Teecie and Owen were quite enamoured with one another. They didn't talk much, just stared at each other while walking. This did lead to a couple of embarrassing moments, that Draco saw from afar, which was good since he couldn't help but laugh at them. Owen was too busy staring at Teecie to see where he was going and walked straight into a tree. Luckily though, he wasn't hurt. A little while later, Teecie was looking into Owen's eyes, and tripped over a cat that had been walking in front of her. Owen managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. Neither of them could figure out why they were being so klutzy today.
The happy couple walked arm-in-arm until they reached a small gourmet food shop. They went inside to buy food for their meal. Owen found a loaf of French bread and some fancy onion-flavoured crisps while Teecie ordered sliced meats and cheeses at the deli counter. They walked up and down the aisles, occasionally putting items in their basket. Two bottles of orange-flavoured Fanta and a package of Twinkies rounded out the meal.
There was a park not too far from the store, so they walked there to set up their picnic. Draco sat on a park bench thirty or so feet from them, eating a sandwich he'd bought at the store. Owen set up a red flannel blanket on the grass and after they sat down, Teecie unpacked the basket of food. They sat and talked for a couple hours, eating and getting to know each other better. Teecie felt as though she'd never been more attracted to somebody before. She wanted to jump on top of him, which she suspected Owen wouldn't mind, but knew Draco would kill her if she did.
Once they'd finished eating, Owen and Teecie sat and looked at the clouds for a while. They leaned back on their elbows, gazing up at the sky, telling each other the shapes they saw in the cloud formations. After their arms grew tired, they stood up and walked over to the playground and sat on the swings. They were both far too old to be playing on the playground, but neither of them cared. Owen pushed Teecie on the swing for a while before getting on the one next to her. Soon they were competing over who could swing higher. After a while, they were swinging and jumping off, flying through the air to the ground, to see how far they could go.
When they grew tired of the swings, they climbed the ladder up to the slide. The top half of the slide was covered, so nobody could see them. After making sure Draco couldn't see them, Owen held onto Teecie before she went down the slide and pressed his lips to hers. Teecie smiled when he pulled away and kissed him in return. Once she turned around, she slid down the slide, Owen coming down behind her. They ran around back to the ladder and did this again, along with the kissing. They did this several times before they grew too tired to run anymore.
Teecie looked over at Draco and could see the look of disapproval on his face. He probably hated that she was running around like a child, but she was having loads of fun. They continued for another half hour, until it started to get dark out and Draco called to them that it was time to return to the Manor.
Owen packed up the blanket and basket and walked arm-in-arm with Teecie while they talked quietly. Owen asked if she'd like to go out again, and Teecie quickly said yes. He told her he'd like to write to her while she was at school. Teecie said she'd like that. Once back at the Manor, Owen kissed Teecie's cheek before saying goodnight to Draco and flooing back to his home.
Teecie sighed and sat down in the chair next to Draco. "So, you seemed to like him, a lot," Draco said quietly, his eyebrow raised inquisitively.
"Oh, Draco, he's the most wonderful boy I've ever met. I can't wait to see him again," Teecie said breathlessly, smiling so hard she thought her face would tear in half.
"Well, it sounds like you really like him a lot. That's good," Draco replied, starting to feel nervous over how attracted Teecie was to the boy. He'd have to keep a very close eye on those two.
Draco had business to attend to the next day, so Teecie spent her day with Lindon and her nieces and nephew. Lindon gave her a letter from June to read. June told her that she thought Robert Bones was cute and that she'd go out with him if he asked her. Teecie was excited and wrote to Robert straight away to tell him this. She also wrote to the twins and told them about her holiday, the party, and all the boys she'd been seeing. She debated over writing to James, but decided not to. She'd be seeing him soon enough.
The next day, Teecie went out with Kurt Bramwell, a 15 year old from Durmstrang. He took her for a boat ride on the River Avon, that sprawled through the town. He rowed as they talked and got to know each other. Kurt had three brothers, all younger. He excelled in potions at his school, and was a beater on the Quidditch team. Kurt was quite muscular and tall. He had black hair and brown eyes, and wore a stern expression on his face while he rowed the small boat.
Teecie found she didn't have much to say to him, and it made for an awkward afternoon. They sat on the shore dangling their feet in the cool water, eating sandwiches and making little more than small talk. The date ended with a handshake.
Wednesday's date was Bryan Masters, a 14 year old Ravenclaw. He took her shopping in downtown Bath. They wandered in and out of bookstores, sweet shops, and gift shops. Bryan was a fun boy with blonde hair and brown eyes. He was an only child, and wanted to be an astronomer when he left school.
Bryan bought Teecie an ice cream sundae when it grew too hot to stay outside on the sidewalk. They sat at a small table and talked until they'd finished their food. Teecie thought Bryan was pretty nice, but got the feeling he thought he was smarter than she was. Though he was never rude, she did get the feeling he was humouring her somewhat. She thought this wouldn't be a good match and he must have too, for he didn't ask her out again.
Thursday was Teecie's last date, as well as her last night at the Manor. She'd be returning to the property for the last weekend of the holiday on Friday. Joshua Northrop, the first boy Teecie danced with, took her to the Jane Austen Centre, an easy walk from the Manor. She was excited to see this, for she'd read several Jane Austen novels and had loved them. Her favourites were Emma, and Pride and Prejudice. Joshua was a fan of literature and Muggles, so he enjoyed the museum as well. There was a lecture room that they sat in and listened to a speaker talk about the life and times of Jane Austen, who'd spent much of her life in Bath. There were also rooms set up to show what life back then was like. Teecie saw some of the dresses the women wore and wondered what her mum's life had been like back then. She wished she'd had a picture of her mother from back then, wearing one of those dresses. She would have looked beautiful in one. Quickly doing the math, Teecie figured Adriana must have been about 110 years old when Jane Austen had been born.
There was a gift shop where Joshua bought Teecie a needlepoint kit that was a replica of the sampler Jane Austen had done. Teecie looked forward to doing that on the train ride to school.
Joshua and Teecie went to a small pizzeria for lunch afterwards. They ate and laughed while the cheese from their sausage pizza stretched from the slices of pie before snapping off and clinging to their chins. Teecie glanced at Draco and saw him frowning at her. He was sipping a glass of water and eating a breadstick. He clearly thought this place was too low for his standards. She was beginning to think she was a disappointment to Draco. Teecie wished he was more open to things and experiences outside what he felt was the "upper class". There was much more to life than being rich. Too bad Draco didn't realize that.
Joshua held Teecie's hand as they walked back to the Manor. He was brave enough to ask Teecie out again, to which she accepted his invitation. He kissed her cheek before flooing home.
Teecie collapsed in a chair after Joshua had left and sat there for a long time. It had been an exhausting month with party preparations, the party, and all those dates. It had also been a lot of fun, and she would come to look back on it as one of the best times of her entire life.
Draco had been sitting near Teecie, looking at her and wondering if any of those boys would end up being a long-term match, or perhaps even leading to a marriage. She was his baby sister, and though she could be a handful, she deserved the best in life, and the best husband she could find. He was lost in thought when Teecie startled him by wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. "What was that for?" He asked, sounding startled.
"For being the world's best brother," Teecie replied, smiling before she left the room. Draco smiled and sat in the chair for a while, thinking more about Teecie's future. Whoever she ended up with, he hoped she would have a very happy life.
Disclaimer: You know the usual, all of this world is JK's, and we thank her for letting us borrow it. Only the original characters are ours!
Dating Teecie-2
After Teecie's day off, she was rested and feeling better and ready for her next date. Draco had arranged for her to meet with Joseph Gatewood that evening. Joseph had written to Teecie and told her to wear a nice dress for their date.
Teecie sat in the parlour, wearing her dark blue evening dress and matching slippers when Joseph arrived. She smiled as he handed her a bouquet of flowers. Teecie looked and saw a bright yellow sunflower in the centre of a sea of white daisies. She thanked him and handed the flowers to the butler while taking Joseph's arm.
Joseph led Teecie to a black limousine that was waiting to take them to dinner. They were driven to a restaurant in town that Teecie had never been to before. The Eastern Eye, an Indian restaurant, looked like a fun place to eat. Draco looked skeptical about having to eat there, but didn't stop them from going.
Joseph got a table for two that he and Teecie shared, while Draco sat at a table several feet from them, out of earshot. Teecie liked the restaurant. It was brightly painted and had a beautiful ceiling to gaze at. They poured through the menu which was full of foods she had never tried before. It was all so exotic, she didn't know what to order. In the end, she tried the Lamb Dhansak, lamb with a curry sauce, served with lentils and spices. Joseph ordered the Chicken Chandan, tandoori chicken with chilies, garlic, mint, and cilantro.
Teecie enjoyed her lamb and lentils while getting to know Joseph better. He was 20, but had been a Slytherin while in school. He worked in the Improper Use of Magic Office at the Ministry of Magic, and enjoyed his job very much. He lived in a flat in London where he was able to walk to and from work.
Teecie felt very young compared to him. She had nothing special to share about herself with him. Teecie gazed at Joseph while eating. He was a very handsome man, with wavy red hair and freckles on his nose. He had a nice smile, and friendly green eyes. Teecie couldn't understand why he wasn't already married. When she hinted at this, Joseph smiled and explained. "I just enjoy being single. But, my parents are older, pretty old-fashioned, and want me to be married and having a family. I don't want that right now, but I do things like this to make them happy. To keep them from annoying me really. It's a small price to pay, and it's fun too. I'll settle down some day, when I find the right person."
Teecie told him that it was kind of him to do that to make his parents happy. She told him that if they were closer in age, she'd definitely be interested in seeing him again. Joseph smiled and said he would have enjoyed that. They continued to talk for over an hour before they left the restaurant.
On the limo ride back to the Manor, Joseph and Teecie kept talking and laughing. Both really felt it was a shame there was such an age difference. Joseph kept wishing Teecie was only four years older, so she'd be of age. Then he started to think he was a dirty old man and made himself stop thinking like that. When he said this out loud, it made Teecie laugh until tears streamed down her face. They were talking quietly enough so that Draco had no idea what was so hilarious, but wasn't sure if he liked Teecie acting that way in public.
Once back at the Manor, Joseph kissed Teecie's hand and wished her luck at school, while she wished him luck at the Ministry before he drove off again. When Draco asked how it had gone, she told him they'd had lots of fun, but there was too much of an age difference to see each other again. Draco nodded his head as he lead his sister inside. He'd been nervous about that from the start, but hadn't said anything, though he was glad that they weren't going to see one another again.
The next morning, Teecie received a note from her date, while she ate her French toast. She read it out loud. It was from Zeren, and he'd be taking her to the Hogsmeade Magical Fair in a couple hours. "Oh Draco, a fair!" Teecie cried when she'd finished the note.
Draco didn't look too happy to have to go to a fair, and seeing the looks on his children's faces didn't help much. "Can we go to the fair too, Da?" Liss asked excitedly, wriggling in her seat.
"Let's go to the fair!" Roo shouted, jumping down from his chair and running around the table.
"Yay, a fair!" Mel cried, grinning at her father.
Tanith looked expectantly at her husband. Draco knew he'd been outnumbered. Sighing and shaking his head, he spoke, "Let's all go to the fair." The kids cheered more loudly with this and ran to their rooms to get dressed for the day.
Teecie smiled at Draco. "It'll be fun!" She said. "Well, as much fun as going out with Zeren can possibly be, though he was much nicer than I thought he would be," She continued.
"Just be careful what you say to him. Zeren's not one to mess with," Draco replied, looking concerned. Teecie wasn't the most prudent of people. She needed to learn to control what she said to others. But he was glad that she'd accepted Zeren's invitation for a date. Zeren would be a good match for Teecie. He'd be able to provide for her, and their children would enjoy the best that life could buy, if it ever went that far. "Make sure to take your parasol today! I don't want to have to scrape you up off the ground again!" Draco called to his sister while she walked to her room.
Teecie spent a while planning what she was going to wear to the fair. It was a hot day out, so she chose a pair of forest green shorts, and a pink tank top. After picking up her parasol and handbag, Teecie left the room to floo with the family to the Three Broomsticks where she'd be meeting Zeren.
The pub was packed with people going to the fair. Teecie looked around for Zeren and waved when she finally spotted him. Zeren nodded and attempted to walk towards her while she and her family tried to move towards him. Meeting somewhere in the middle of the pub, Zeren greeted Teecie. "Well, don't you look...nice," He said, sounding as though he didn't really mean it. Putting his hand on her elbow, Zeren began to lead Teecie out of the crowded pub.
The fair was a short walk from the pub. Teecie and Zeren walked behind Draco, Tanith, and the kids, who were pulling their parent's hands to get them to walk faster. As the two kids walked side-by-side, Teecie tried to think of something to say to Zeren. Zeren looked at the parasol Teecie was holding. "Nice parasol," He said, "It matches your shirt."
"Thank you. Pink is my favourite colour," Teecie said, smiling happily.
Zeren smiled and looked over towards Draco, who kept stealing glances over his shoulder to make sure everything was going well.
"So, I've never been to a Magical fair before. What makes it different from a Muggle fair?" Teecie asked, looking curiously at Zeren.
"What? What do you mean you've never been to a Magical fair before?" Zeren asked incredulously. He had so much to teach Teecie. She was obviously lacking in a proper education, which made Zeren wonder how Draco had allowed her parents to raise her that way. As the head of his family, Draco surely would have control over how his sisters were raised. "Well, where to begin? Let's see..." Zeren told her all about the fair and what would be there. He liked knowing more than Teecie. He found he enjoyed enlightening her in the ways of the Wizarding world. He knew she'd spent most of her life in the Muggle world, poor girl, and needed to get caught up.
They arrived at the fairgrounds just as Zeren had just finished telling Teecie about what attractions would be at the fair. Draco came over to them and told them that they'd be expected to check in with him every two hours at the food court. They were to be on their best behaviour the whole time. Zeren assured his Head of house that he'd keep Teecie safe and happy.
When Draco had left with his family, Teecie turned to Zeren. "Well? What should we do first?" She asked. "Rides?" Smiling, Zeren led her to the rides. They rode on the carousel, where Teecie sat upon the enchanted figure of a unicorn that leaped and bounded while galloping in a circle, while Zeren rode on an enchanted flying Hippogriff. The carousel had no canopy and the animals walked, flew, slithered, and ran in circles, ovals, or whatever shapes they felt like while pipe organ music played. Teecie laughed the entire time.
Next was a turn on the ferris wheel. Teecie was nervous, because it went so high up in the air, but Zeren held her arm tightly the entire time. There was a steering wheel inside so each compartment was able to rotate in any direction the riders wanted while it moved up and down in a circle. Zeren moved them around slowly in gentle circles while they were being lifted higher up, until everybody looked like small specks below them. Teecie stifled a scream by burying her head on Zeren's shoulder. They continued for several rotations around before they came back to the ground as the ride ended. Zeren helped Teecie out of her seat. "That was so scary!" She said as they walked to the next ride, "But way cool!" Zeren smiled to see how much she was enjoying herself.
The two had just finished riding on the roller coaster when it was time to check in with Draco for the first time. After walking to the food stalls, they looked around for him. Teecie spotted him at a stall buying candy apples for the kids, and started towards him, Zeren walking behind her. "So, are you two having fun?" Draco asked when they approached him.
"I am, are you?" Teecie said, turning to Zeren.
Zeren smiled politely. "Yes, I'm having a great time," He replied, looking at Professor Black.
"That's good to hear, well go off and have some more fun, then," Draco replied, watching as the two turned around and started wandering away.
"Do you want to eat yet?" Zeren asked. When Teecie said yes, they walked around the food stalls, looking for good food. Zeren bought Teecie a bag of popcorn, a Cornish pasty, and a glass of lemonade, while he bought a cheeseburger, crisps, and a Butterbeer. There were lots of tables under umbrellas to sit at, so they found the closest one and sat down to eat. They talked as they ate. Teecie asked Zeren what additional classes he'd be taking next year. She was excited to hear they'd both be taking Runes, but wasn't too sure what Arithmancy was, though she told him it was sure to be very interesting. Zeren couldn't understand why Teecie would want to work with dirty beasts in her Care of Magical Creatures class, but knew she lived on a farm and it probably had to do with the commonplace habits she'd picked up there.
Once they'd finished their food, they walked over to the games. Zeren decided he needed to win Teecie at least one prize. The first booth had small bowls of water with tiny aquatic creatures in them. The object was to throw small balls into the bowls and get them to stay. If any of them stayed in the water without bouncing back out again, the person won the bowl and its contents. Zeren paid the man in charge and took the handful of small foam balls and began tossing them towards the bowls. Zeren grew more and more frustrated as Teecie watched him throwing the balls. Every one managed to bounce back out of the bowls again. Fortunately, the very last one stayed in the bowl. Teecie beamed at Zeren as the man running the booth picked up the bowl and handed it to him. Zeren smiled proudly as he turned to Teecie and held the bowl out to her.
"Thank you, Zeren!" She squealed, peering into the bowl. Teecie expected to see a goldfish or a tadpole, but what she saw was much more interesting than that. It was a seahorse, but a real one, not those things Muggles called "seahorses". It was a small horse about three inches long, with gills along it's sides, and four webbed feet. Every once in a while it would toss it's head and send it's long flowing mane floating around in the water. Teecie watched as it opened it's mouth and bubbles came out of it. The small bubbles floated to the surface of the water and as they popped, the sounds of whinnying filled her ears. "Cool!" She said, smiling at Zeren.
The next stall had many glass bottles enchanted to float in the air. Zeren paid the woman working in the stall, who handed him several large balls to throw at the bottles. The object was to hit and break as many bottles as possible. Prizes were based on the amount of bottles broken.
As Zeren threw the first ball, the bottles started to fly around madly. The ball managed to hit two bottles in the process. By the time all the balls had been thrown, Zeren had broken eight bottles. The woman showed him the prizes he could choose from. There were enchanted dolls that cried and talked, broomsticks, and stuffed animals among other things. Zeren chose a cuddly pink teddy bear that he would have died if he'd had to keep for himself, but knew that Teecie would love. Teecie beamed as she took the bear and held it.
Struggling to hold her handbag, parasol, the teddy bear, and the bowl with the seahorse, Teecie walked arm-in-arm with Zeren. They were talking and laughing when they turned the corner of a stall and came face-to-face with Lisette and her father. Teecie, Zeren, and Lisette stared silently at each other, shocked to see one another there. After several moments of awkward silence, Teecie turned to Lisette's father and spoke. "So, it's good to see you again, Mr. Crabbe. I haven't seen you since the dinner party last year."
"Yes, and it's nice to see you again too, Miss Orendes. You look as though you're having a lot of fun today. Mr. Travers, it's good to see you," Mr. Crabbe said, turning to Zeren.
"Yes, you too," He replied, avoiding making eye contact with Lisette.
Lisette couldn't stay quiet any longer. Stepping in front of Teecie, she looked at her carefully before speaking. "Well, well, well, imagine seeing you here today. With my boyfriend. I wonder what your boyfriend would think if he saw you here. Who did you come with? His family or yours? Did your wonderful brother or your infamous father take you?"
Teecie looked at Lisette, unsure of what to say. Anthony or Marius must have told her after the party about her family. "I came with Draco and his family. And I've been having a wonderful time here with your boyfriend. In fact, I believe he's been having a fun time too, right Zeren?" Teecie asked, looking up at Zeren.
"The best time ever," He replied, glaring at Lisette. He smiled as Lisette's eyes flashed with anger. Looking at Teecie, he said, "We should get going."
Teecie started to walk away with Zeren after saying goodbye to Mr. Crabbe. "Oh Teecie, give my regards to your brother. And do be sure to ask your father why he's been hiding away on your farm for such a long time. I'm sure he's got some interesting tales to tell," Lisette called out to Teecie.
Teecie shook her head as she continued to walk away with Zeren. "What is her problem? I never did anything to her," She said quietly.
"She just wants to be the most popular person at school, and she attacks anybody who threatens that," Zeren replied, tightening his grip of Teecie's arm. "Just ignore her," He advised, leading her back to the food stalls where they were to meet Draco soon.
Zeren and Teecie were sharing a large cloud of fluffy pink candy floss on a stick when Draco found them. Teecie showed him the seahorse and teddy bear Zeren had won for her. He seemed impressed. They joined Draco and the family to see some of the events at the fair.
After walking to the grandstand, they sat down to watch the dueling competition. Competitors went up against each other and tried to beat the other. The crowd watched with rapt attention as they faced off. They cheered the winners and politely applauded for the losers.
Once the dueling competition had ended, there was another contest, for the children: Gnome tossing. All the school-aged children from the stands were invited to participate. Teecie joined in while everybody else watched. Zeren flatly refused to join in saying that only common-folk did things like that. Teecie snorted and rolled her eyes before putting all her stuff in his arms and running down to the where the other kids were gathering, before Draco could stop her. They were divided up by age group and gender. Teecie joined the group of 13 to 15 year old girls. There were seven of them. Each group took their turns, starting from the youngest and moving up in age.
Teecie was nervous about all the people who were looking down at her from the stands. She held onto her gnome tightly while it struggled against her, and took deep breaths to stay calm. When her group's turn came, they all lined up and tossed their gnomes. Teecie's went quite far, but one other girl's went farther. She was still excited to take the red second place ribbon she'd won back to her family.
Draco and Zeren shook their heads silently while Tanith, Liss, and Mel politely congratulated her. Roo, on the other hand, clapped his hands excitedly and kissed Teecie's cheek for winning.
The family walked around for a while afterwards and looked at all the displays. There were magical cooking and cleaning demonstrations, of people showing off new products to buy. There were a few book signings with famous authors. One line in particular was extremely long and filled with girls and women. Teecie could barely see the man they were waiting for, though she could see he was wearing fancy lavender robes and had wavy blonde hair. When Draco saw who it was, he grimaced and quickly led his family away without saying anything.
It was late afternoon and the children were growing tired. Teecie wanted to go see the agricultural displays of the local magical farmers, but was vetoed by Draco, saying it was time to go home.
Everybody walked back to the Three Broomsticks where Zeren would be flooing to his home. Trying to get some privacy, Zeren led Teecie away from the family to say goodbye to her. After kissing her hand, he asked if she'd be interested in going out again. Teecie blushed, but smiled and said yes before saying goodbye and flooing back to Black Manor with her family.
Teecie had spent a wonderful day at the fair. She spent the rest of her evening researching seahorses and what to feed them.
Teecie slept in the next morning, and woke up to find a letter from Owen Fairfax, her date for the day. He'd be taking her for a walk and a picnic and told her to dress accordingly. Teecie's stomach fluttered and the throbbing in her abdomen returned as she thought about Owen. She floated around, as though in a dream for the rest of the day, until it was time to change for her date.
Teecie changed into a pair of blue shorts and a green tank top, put on her salt water sandals, picked up her handbag and parasol, and went to the parlour to meet Owen.
Owen was waiting for her when she arrived. Smiling shyly, he stood up and held out a handful of violets to her. Teecie thanked him before handing them to the butler to put in water. Taking her by the arm, Owen led Teecie out of the house, down the stairs, and onto the sidewalk, where they were to stroll through town before going to a store to buy their dinner. Draco walked about half a block behind them.
Both Teecie and Owen were quite enamoured with one another. They didn't talk much, just stared at each other while walking. This did lead to a couple of embarrassing moments, that Draco saw from afar, which was good since he couldn't help but laugh at them. Owen was too busy staring at Teecie to see where he was going and walked straight into a tree. Luckily though, he wasn't hurt. A little while later, Teecie was looking into Owen's eyes, and tripped over a cat that had been walking in front of her. Owen managed to catch her before she fell to the ground. Neither of them could figure out why they were being so klutzy today.
The happy couple walked arm-in-arm until they reached a small gourmet food shop. They went inside to buy food for their meal. Owen found a loaf of French bread and some fancy onion-flavoured crisps while Teecie ordered sliced meats and cheeses at the deli counter. They walked up and down the aisles, occasionally putting items in their basket. Two bottles of orange-flavoured Fanta and a package of Twinkies rounded out the meal.
There was a park not too far from the store, so they walked there to set up their picnic. Draco sat on a park bench thirty or so feet from them, eating a sandwich he'd bought at the store. Owen set up a red flannel blanket on the grass and after they sat down, Teecie unpacked the basket of food. They sat and talked for a couple hours, eating and getting to know each other better. Teecie felt as though she'd never been more attracted to somebody before. She wanted to jump on top of him, which she suspected Owen wouldn't mind, but knew Draco would kill her if she did.
Once they'd finished eating, Owen and Teecie sat and looked at the clouds for a while. They leaned back on their elbows, gazing up at the sky, telling each other the shapes they saw in the cloud formations. After their arms grew tired, they stood up and walked over to the playground and sat on the swings. They were both far too old to be playing on the playground, but neither of them cared. Owen pushed Teecie on the swing for a while before getting on the one next to her. Soon they were competing over who could swing higher. After a while, they were swinging and jumping off, flying through the air to the ground, to see how far they could go.
When they grew tired of the swings, they climbed the ladder up to the slide. The top half of the slide was covered, so nobody could see them. After making sure Draco couldn't see them, Owen held onto Teecie before she went down the slide and pressed his lips to hers. Teecie smiled when he pulled away and kissed him in return. Once she turned around, she slid down the slide, Owen coming down behind her. They ran around back to the ladder and did this again, along with the kissing. They did this several times before they grew too tired to run anymore.
Teecie looked over at Draco and could see the look of disapproval on his face. He probably hated that she was running around like a child, but she was having loads of fun. They continued for another half hour, until it started to get dark out and Draco called to them that it was time to return to the Manor.
Owen packed up the blanket and basket and walked arm-in-arm with Teecie while they talked quietly. Owen asked if she'd like to go out again, and Teecie quickly said yes. He told her he'd like to write to her while she was at school. Teecie said she'd like that. Once back at the Manor, Owen kissed Teecie's cheek before saying goodnight to Draco and flooing back to his home.
Teecie sighed and sat down in the chair next to Draco. "So, you seemed to like him, a lot," Draco said quietly, his eyebrow raised inquisitively.
"Oh, Draco, he's the most wonderful boy I've ever met. I can't wait to see him again," Teecie said breathlessly, smiling so hard she thought her face would tear in half.
"Well, it sounds like you really like him a lot. That's good," Draco replied, starting to feel nervous over how attracted Teecie was to the boy. He'd have to keep a very close eye on those two.
Draco had business to attend to the next day, so Teecie spent her day with Lindon and her nieces and nephew. Lindon gave her a letter from June to read. June told her that she thought Robert Bones was cute and that she'd go out with him if he asked her. Teecie was excited and wrote to Robert straight away to tell him this. She also wrote to the twins and told them about her holiday, the party, and all the boys she'd been seeing. She debated over writing to James, but decided not to. She'd be seeing him soon enough.
The next day, Teecie went out with Kurt Bramwell, a 15 year old from Durmstrang. He took her for a boat ride on the River Avon, that sprawled through the town. He rowed as they talked and got to know each other. Kurt had three brothers, all younger. He excelled in potions at his school, and was a beater on the Quidditch team. Kurt was quite muscular and tall. He had black hair and brown eyes, and wore a stern expression on his face while he rowed the small boat.
Teecie found she didn't have much to say to him, and it made for an awkward afternoon. They sat on the shore dangling their feet in the cool water, eating sandwiches and making little more than small talk. The date ended with a handshake.
Wednesday's date was Bryan Masters, a 14 year old Ravenclaw. He took her shopping in downtown Bath. They wandered in and out of bookstores, sweet shops, and gift shops. Bryan was a fun boy with blonde hair and brown eyes. He was an only child, and wanted to be an astronomer when he left school.
Bryan bought Teecie an ice cream sundae when it grew too hot to stay outside on the sidewalk. They sat at a small table and talked until they'd finished their food. Teecie thought Bryan was pretty nice, but got the feeling he thought he was smarter than she was. Though he was never rude, she did get the feeling he was humouring her somewhat. She thought this wouldn't be a good match and he must have too, for he didn't ask her out again.
Thursday was Teecie's last date, as well as her last night at the Manor. She'd be returning to the property for the last weekend of the holiday on Friday. Joshua Northrop, the first boy Teecie danced with, took her to the Jane Austen Centre, an easy walk from the Manor. She was excited to see this, for she'd read several Jane Austen novels and had loved them. Her favourites were Emma, and Pride and Prejudice. Joshua was a fan of literature and Muggles, so he enjoyed the museum as well. There was a lecture room that they sat in and listened to a speaker talk about the life and times of Jane Austen, who'd spent much of her life in Bath. There were also rooms set up to show what life back then was like. Teecie saw some of the dresses the women wore and wondered what her mum's life had been like back then. She wished she'd had a picture of her mother from back then, wearing one of those dresses. She would have looked beautiful in one. Quickly doing the math, Teecie figured Adriana must have been about 110 years old when Jane Austen had been born.
There was a gift shop where Joshua bought Teecie a needlepoint kit that was a replica of the sampler Jane Austen had done. Teecie looked forward to doing that on the train ride to school.
Joshua and Teecie went to a small pizzeria for lunch afterwards. They ate and laughed while the cheese from their sausage pizza stretched from the slices of pie before snapping off and clinging to their chins. Teecie glanced at Draco and saw him frowning at her. He was sipping a glass of water and eating a breadstick. He clearly thought this place was too low for his standards. She was beginning to think she was a disappointment to Draco. Teecie wished he was more open to things and experiences outside what he felt was the "upper class". There was much more to life than being rich. Too bad Draco didn't realize that.
Joshua held Teecie's hand as they walked back to the Manor. He was brave enough to ask Teecie out again, to which she accepted his invitation. He kissed her cheek before flooing home.
Teecie collapsed in a chair after Joshua had left and sat there for a long time. It had been an exhausting month with party preparations, the party, and all those dates. It had also been a lot of fun, and she would come to look back on it as one of the best times of her entire life.
Draco had been sitting near Teecie, looking at her and wondering if any of those boys would end up being a long-term match, or perhaps even leading to a marriage. She was his baby sister, and though she could be a handful, she deserved the best in life, and the best husband she could find. He was lost in thought when Teecie startled him by wrapping her arms around him and kissing his cheek. "What was that for?" He asked, sounding startled.
"For being the world's best brother," Teecie replied, smiling before she left the room. Draco smiled and sat in the chair for a while, thinking more about Teecie's future. Whoever she ended up with, he hoped she would have a very happy life.