Chapter 36

Let's dance in style, lets dance for a while
Heaven can wait we're only watching the skies
Hoping for the best but expecting the worst
Are you going to drop the bomb or not?

Mary-Alice's 7th birthday party made the women reflect, on their previous youth that had now paced them by. They had been nearly care free for a whole fifteen years, but a lot has happened since then. Most were married and had kids; some where newly weds others still hadn't found the right person. Mary-Alice was having a great time with her friends and her older half brother Joel who was now eight. Joel was going to be living with them for a little while, while his mother was holidaying in Poland with her newest partner. Little did Raven know however, that Patrick and wife Nichole weren't planning on letting Joel return to his mothers care, he deserved a family and to be with his sister.


Let us die young or let us live forever
We don't have the power but we never say never
Sitting in a sandpit, life is a short trip
The music's for the sad men

All the women were now approaching or had just pasted the thirty year mark, some where taking it better then others.


Can you imagine when this race is won
Turn our golden faces into the sun
Praising our leaders we're getting in tune
The music's played by the mad men

Though Raven was overseas, the other six women were in attendance for celebration of Mary-Alice's youthfulness. Emily watched the rock on her finger, watching it glisten as the natural light struck it. Emily had got married the previous Christmas to her long-time fiancée after finally recovering from her emotionally breakdown and she's never been happier. She and David were yet to have children together but David had a teenage daughter from his first marriage, though she was rarely home. She attended a private witchery school in Germany, which made her rather headstrong. David was on the other side of the yard socializing with his friends, as Emily was with hers.


Forever young, I want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever, forever and ever
Forever young, I want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever? Forever young

Jane had been married for just over six years though wasn't a parent yet. Jane and Richard often looked after foster children, one or two at a time as it was incredibly rewarding when it was successful. It wasn't always. The couple considered this to also be excellent parenting practice, her friends didn't know it yet but Jane had found out this morning that she was pregnant, the couple decided to keep it a secret for a little while. Their foster daughter played with Joel and the other children while the adults talked. The kids were very good at amusing themselves.


Some are like water, some are like the heat
Some are a melody and some are the beat
Sooner or later they all will be gone
why don't they stay young

Sammi was talking to Rachael about politics, Oliver was still Minister of Magic but was stepping down in a few months and Shaun was replacing him until the next election. Oliver and Shaun had become good friends a while after Oliver's wedding; Oliver gave Shaun a job within his own department and has been teaching him the ropes. Rachael was incredibly proud Shaun; he was going to be Minister of Magic. Kids hadn't been discussed in this relationships as of yet, they just didn't seem to be a priority, neither wanted anything to take away from their precious time together.

Oliver was stepping down as Minister to spend more time with his family. Sammi rubbed her temple, she had a headache as she had had only a few hours sleep the night before and Oliver hadn't been home much to help her, that was about to change. Sammi held baby Dan in her arms, while her Auntie held his twin sister Debra. When the Dan and Debra were born two months ago, was when Oliver decided he couldn't leave his wife at home alone anymore. The children were too much to handle. The identical terrible twos twins, Lucas and Nathan, were tormenting Oliver by tugging on their fathers clothes. Looking after the four children took a toll on Sammi, she was nearly always tired, even when she sent the terrible two to wizarding daycare. To make things worse Lucas had recently nearly strangled his brother with a poison ivy plant, it seems that he had inherited his mother's gift.


It's so hard to get old without a cause
I don't want to perish like a fleeing horse
Youth's like diamonds in the sun
and diamonds are forever

Candi held her nieces daughter in her arms, she wasn't old enough to be a great-auntie yet. But like nearly everything in her life that she couldn't change, Candi ignored her age and waited for it to get bored and leave her alone. After years of 'trying' Candi and Victor had Amanda three years ago. Candi didn't want children and pretend to 'try' for a child while magically preventing it. Victor suggested they see a doctor, which is around the same time Amanda was conceived. Candi then 'quit' her job to look after Amanda, which involved walking around Diagon Alley so she could be told that she had a beautiful daughter that looked just like her. Candi watched the three year old picking flowers, she noticed Victor was going the same thing, he looked happy. Victor was home a lot, only having Quidditch practice every second day. The couple had recently moved from Ireland to Wiltshire (England), in a few years Amanda will be attending Beauxbatons School of Witchcraft.


So many adventures couldn't happen today
So many songs we forgot to play
So many dreams swinging out of the blue
We let them come true

Nichole was happy most the time; she had a husband who loved her, a clever and attractive daughter whom she loved with ever fibre of her being, and even a family owl. Yet sometimes Nichole couldn't help but feel guilty, maybe this should have been Raven's life? Nichole tried to ignore this voice in the back of her head but it was often there. Nichole knew she deserved her life and that Raven ended up where she was because of her own bad choices, Joel shouldn't be with a mother like that. Raven loved Joel, but she wasn't grown up and couldn't look after him the way Nichole knew she and Shaun could. Anyway Joel needs his dad in his life.


Forever young, I want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever, forever and ever
Forever young, I want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever, forever and ever

Forever young, I want to be forever young
do you really want to live forever?

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What does everyone think? Or as my 3 year old cousin says 'by anybody' lol he's so cute. If someone has an opinion on a particular character I would love to hear it. I think this is the last chapter. I have to work on my story 'Kate I can explain' then I don't know what I'll do because I'm incredibly busy.

Thanks for reading,

And yes I know I'm a review-whore