Chapter 3: Slytherin
A/N: Just a warning that this chapter includes a small scare of a misplaced child. This is not a dramatic or angsty story in any way, so nothing traumatic or anything will happen. The storyline is a stubborn defiant kid (they are Jane's kids, remember), not a kidnapping plot or anything like that. I'd rather be safe than upset or trigger anyone, though.
Also, if you're on AO3, I'd suggest reading this story on there since I learned how to add images. :)
"Slytherin will help you on your way to greatness."
Jane, Maura, and the kids were in line for the water taxi that would take them to City Walk and the parks. Maura was nursing her morning coffee and listening to the kids excitedly talk about everything they wanted to do and see today. Because they were staying at a Universal Resort Hotel, they were able to get into the park, and they were planning to use every minute of their early entry.
They were starting the day at Universal Studios with plans to ride the Hogwarts Express over to Islands of Adventure before lunch. The kids had agreed (after much negotiation) to get their magic wands first.
Jackson had memorized the park maps, so he led them straight back to Diagon Alley.
"Not so far ahead, buddy!" Jane called out to Jackson who was walking so fast that his sisters could barely keep up let alone Maura and Jane with the stroller. When the stepped around the brick wall that blocked the "secret" entrance to Diagon Alley, Jane's jaw dropped. She felt like she had really stepped into the movie. She had to remind herself to keep an eye on the kids as she took in her surroundings.
The air crackled with a kind of magic that only came from the joy surrounding them. Maura's heart warmed as she watched the happiness and excitement light up her children's and her wife's faces. There was nothing she loved more than the six of them spending time together and being together on vacation was even better.
"Ma! Look!" Jackson yelled loudly as he pointed to the Gringotts' dragon as it roared. Jane jumped when the dragon breathed real fire, causing Maura to laugh at her reaction. Jackson turned to laugh at his mama, too. "The dragon roars right before it breathes fire," he explained.
"We should try to get a picture!" Jane replied excitedly.
"Okay, but after Ollivander's," Maura suggested, pointing to the quickly growing line.
The six of them got in line, which was already starting to flow outside the building. Luckily, it seemed that there wasn't much of a line inside, though, because they quickly reached the front of the line.
"How many in your group?" the attendant asked.
"Six," Maura replied.
"Alright, if you can step to the side, you'll be first in the next room, but we're going to let a smaller group into this room," he explained, and Maura nodded in understanding. "Do we have a group of two or three?" he said to the line at large, and two young adults behind them raised their hands.
Once the previous room was filled, the attendant directed them to the next room. As soon as they stepped into the room and to the side where the kids could get a good view of the show, another attendant walked up to them. Speaking quietly to Jane and Maura, she asked, "As part of the show, we ask one or more children to participate in the wand selection ceremony. Would you like your three older children to participate?"
"Of course," they both answered excitedly.
"Wonderful, you all can wait here, and Mr. Ollivander will call the children forward during the show."
Jane snapped a picture of Mr. Ollivander as he started the ceremony, and Jane continued to take pictures of the kids as they participated in the wand selection ceremony while Maura videoed the ceremony. All three kids had the biggest smiles on their faces, and Jane wanted to remember this moment for the rest of her life.
After the ceremony, the same attendant who had chosen Jackson, Mia, and Sam for the ceremony guided them into the store. While they weren't required to purchase the wands that "selected" the kids – because "the wand chooses the wizard" after all – there was no way any of the kids were going to choose a different wand.
Jane wanted a wand as well, and the kids convinced Maura to get one, too. They hadn't been planning on buying Ben a wand since he didn't really show much of an interest in Harry Potter, he didn't want to be left out of something all of his siblings were doing. Therefore, they ended up purchasing six wands before leaving the store, and Jane was quickly realizing that this vacation was probably going to be their most expensive yet.
"Picture time!" Jane exclaimed excitedly as they left the shop, and she annoyed her kids by forcing them to pose for picture after picture. They also found someone to take a picture of all six of them with their wands.
Maura rolled her eyes when they finally finished. "I think you are worse than your mom sometimes," she teased Jane, giving her a light shove.
"Ma! The dragon!" Jackson called out as they heard it roar again. Jackson grabbed Maura's phone and Jane used her own phone. They both tried to capture a photo of the dragon breathing fire, but it was Jackson who got the best picture.
"Can we ride Gringotts?" Mia asked.
"Sure, let's go see who's tall enough first," Maura suggested. The height requirement for Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts was 42 inches, meaning that Sam, who was tall for her age, just barely made the cut. Since the ride had child swap, they could bring Ben into the pre-show, which he very much enjoyed. Maura decided not to ride, so she waited with Ben in the child-swap area. Maura had tried to convince Sam not to ride, but the girl was just as fearless as her older siblings and her mama. Maura was worried that the roller coaster would be too scary and fast for the four-year-old, but she was definitely wrong. All four of them – Jane, Jackson, Mia, and Sam – were ecstatic when they got off the ride.
"Can we ride it again?" Sam asked her mothers excitedly.
"Yeah, can we?" Mia echoed.
"Not right now, but you guys can definitely ride again later," Maura suggested. "We have a lunch reservation at the Three Broomsticks, which is in the other park. I was thinking we could explore a few of the shops here in Diagon Alley then take the Hogwarts' Express over to Hogsmeade in time for lunch."
The family headed over to the Magical Menagerie, which was right next to Gringotts. The shop was full of "pets" to be adopted, which were really stuffed animals.
"I want an owl!" Jackson said as he ran towards the display full of owls with his sisters following close behind.
"Mom and I agreed that we would buy your wands, robes, and one pet each," Jane said. "So, you can pick one, but if you want anything else, you have to use your gift cards."
Jackson ended up picking Pigwidgon, which was Ron's owl in the books; Mia chose a purple Pygmy Puff; Sam decided on a pink Pygmy Puff after Mia told her they couldn't get the same color; and Ben chose Scabbers the rat, much to Maura's dismay.
When they got to Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions, the kids got into a detailed discussion about what House everyone in the family would be in. After a long debate and each kid trying on many different robes, Jackson ended up with Ravenclaw robes, Mia selected Gryffindor, and Sam got Slytherin. They also convinced Jane and Maura to each get scarves for their respective houses – Gryffindor and Ravenclaw – and to get Ben a hat from Hufflepuff, which they all agreed would be his house. The kids wanted to wear their robes, but since it was already hot outside, Maura convinced the kids to allow the robes, scarves, and hat to be sent back to their hotel. She knew that they would end up carrying them, and they already had too many things to carry.
The kids really wanted to try Butterbeer, but Maura wouldn't let them get any until after lunch. She knew that the sugar would not only ruin their lunch, but it would lead to a sugar rush followed by a crash if they had the drink on an empty stomach. So instead, they got in line to ride the Hogwarts' Express over to Hogsmeade. The station in Universal Studios was modelled after King's Cross Station in London, and Maura was impressed by how accurate the replication of the station was. She decided that their next big international family trip should be to London.
Jane was impressed with the ride as well. She thought it was cool how they created such an innovative experience to move people from one park to another. Even Ben was enthralled with the train and the ride experience.
When they got off the train in Hogsmeade station, they were able to take a few pictures of the train itself and of the kids and their entire family in front of the train before exiting the station.
They just barely made their lunch reservation, but since the place wasn't crowded, a reservation probably wasn't even necessary. Maura wasn't thrilled with the selections, but the food ended up being better than she expected. Maura and Jane shared the fish and chips along with a garden salad for each of them. They ended up getting two orders of kids' chicken fingers and two orders of kids' fish and chips for all four kids to share, which ended up working well. Jane also tried one of the specialty beers, Hog's Head Brew.
After lunch, they explored a few of the Hogsmeade shops. The kids had wanted to go right to ride Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, but Maura was sure at least one of them would end up throwing up if they rode a roller coaster right after lunch. Eventually, though, she couldn't convince them to wait any longer (and Jane wasn't much of a help since she wanted to ride it as much as the kids did). They stopped to take a few pictures of the castle, which was amazing before they entered through the Hogwarts' entrance gates, which were guarded by winged boars as Mia explained to Maura.
Since Maura and Ben weren't planning on riding, they didn't need a locker. However, they were stopped at the entrance to the ride queue.
"Good morning, young witches and wizards," said the young man at the entrance to the Forbidden Journey, smiling down at the kids. "Welcome to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. You are all welcome to experience the castle tour, but the two younger children will not be tall enough to ride the attraction. When you are close to the loading area, one parent will have to stay with the younger children in the child swap area, but you will not have to wait in line again for the second parent to ride. You will be able to…"
"I want to ride!" Sam suddenly interrupted the young man as she realized what he was saying.
"Sam," Maura chided her daughter. "Please don't be rude. You will still be able to see the castle, but you aren't big enough…"
"No!" Sam shouted at her mother. "I want to ride!"
"Sam!" Jane's stern voice caused Sam to pause her tantrum, but it didn't stop her anger. There was nothing she hated more than not being able to do everything her brother and sister could do. Before Jane or Maura could say anything more, Sam took off running.
Jane made eye-contact with Maura. In a fraction of a second, they held an entire conversation. Knowing the other kids were safe with Maura, Jane took off after her youngest daughter.
"Sam!" Jane called, her voice betraying the fear that had pushed aside her anger.
Jackson turned to follow Jane and Sam, his protective nature outweighing his common sense, but Maura was expecting this. She was able to grab his arm to stop him before he got away.
Offering a quick apology over her shoulder to the surprised young man working the entrance to the ride, Maura hastily ushered her older children to the side along with pushing Ben's stroller out of the way of the crowds of people trying to enter the ride queue. They weaved their way through the people walking towards the entrance to the ride as they made their way back to the Hogwarts entrance gates. Maura knew that if Jane didn't catch Sam right away, Sam would likely head back to where she left her family, but it was unlikely the attendant waiting at the entrance gates would let her in alone.
There was a bench off to the side of the entrance gates where Maura would be able to see Sam and/or Jane if they tried to get back to where they had all been separated. Maura pulled the stroller next to the bench and sat down. Jackson immediately sat next to her while Mia sat on her lap.
"Mommy," Jackson's voice shook as he spoke, "where did Sam go?"
Maura wrapped her arm around Jackson's shoulder. The fact that he had called her mommy, something he rarely did anymore, telegraphed his fear as much as the tone of his voice did. She knew he was worried about his sister. She also knew that it was probably hard for him to sit here, feeling like he wasn't doing anything to help find Sam. He was so much like Jane in that way. He protected his siblings with everything he had, and he was a "man of action" for lack of a better phrase.
"She was upset she couldn't ride the ride," Maura said, trying to keep her own fear from leaking out. She didn't want to worry Jackson, Mia, or Ben any more than they already were, but Maura was scared. She had thought Jane would immediately catch Sam and return to them, but both Jane and Sam had been gone longer than Maura expected. She knew that Sam would most likely be fine and that Jane would either find her or someone would help Sam find her parents, but that didn't stop all the worst-case scenarios from flitting through her mind. Most of the time, she loved her job, but it was moments like this – when knowing the worst of humanity exponentially increased her fears that something would happen to one of her children – that she hated her job.
"We need to go find her," Jackson said. "Why aren't we looking for her?"
Maura allowed herself a few seconds to close her eyes and center herself before she answered, "Mama went after Sam, but Sam is most likely to return to where she last saw us if Mama doesn't find her first. We need to be here if she comes back," Maura explained. She kept her eyes on the entrance to the ride but tried to comfort Jackson and Mia by holding them close. Ben was luckily too enthralled with watching all the people around them to notice their distress, and Maura hoped it stayed that way.
Jackson didn't answer, but he tucked his body closer to his mom in a silent response. Mia hadn't said a word since Sam's outburst, which Maura knew was how her daughter showed her distress. Mia rarely stopped talking, so if she remained silent for this long, something was wrong.
Meanwhile, Jane's own fear was threatening to burst out of her chest as she chased after her daughter. Usually, she was much faster than Sam. In fact, she was still faster than all of her kids, but she knew Jackson would surpass her soon. However, Sam was much smaller, and therefore, she could weave through the crowds of people much more easily than Jane could.
Luckily, Jane had caught a glimpse of Sam's light brown braid flying in the wind just as she got to the place where the path split, so she knew that Sam had headed back into Hogsmeade rather than over the bridge towards the Jurassic Park area. However, Jane didn't see her daughter again through the entirety of the Hogsmeade street. When she got to the stone arch entrance to Hogsmeade, she paused, wondering if she should continue in this direction, which would take her out of the Harry Potter area towards the Poseidon and Dr. Seuss parts of the park, or go back through Hogsmeade.
Just as she decided it was more likely that Sam stayed in the Hogsmeade area, she heard Sam's voice scream, "No!" through the crowd. She would know any of her children's voices anywhere. Panic gripped her heart as she ran towards the sound. Sam's voice sounded more angry than scared, but Jane couldn't help but think of all the terrible things that could happen, that could be happening.
Jane immediately spotted her daughter. A park worker dressed as a Hogwarts Express conductor was kneeling in front of her, while Sam stood there, her arms crossed defiantly in front of her chest.
"Sam!" Jane said quickly as she reached the girl, gathering her up into her arms.
"Mama!" was all Sam said as she wrapped her arms and legs around her mother and burst into tears.
The park worker stood up and smiled at Jane. "I saw her running. We're trained to stop runners," he explained.
"Thank you," Jane said, relief obvious in her voice as she held her daughter tight. "She just took off. Thank you, really."
"It's pretty common," he said. "You guys enjoy the rest of your time at the park."
"Thank you," Jane replied again as she turned away from him and buried her face in her daughter's hair.
"I've got you, baby," she whispered, so only Sam could hear her. "You're okay. Let's go find Mommy and your brothers and sister." She rubbed Sam's back in an effort to comfort her as they walked back through Hogsmeade. She wanted to get back to Maura and the other kids as quickly as possible, since she knew they were all probably worried. Her phone was in the stroller; otherwise, she would text Maura to let them know Sam was safe. The combination of running through the park in the humid Florida heat and the fear that had wreaked havoc on her had sapped her energy, so she was slower than she would have liked while walking back to where she knew Maura and the kids were waiting.
She continued to whisper reassurances to Sam the entire way back. She knew they would have to punish Sam, but that could wait until Sam had calmed down and until Maura and the other kids knew Sam was safe. By the time they could see the entrance to the castle, Sam's crying had subsided.
Jane spotted Maura and the kids on the bench at the same time Maura noticed Jane and Sam. Maura stood immediately and all three of them ran to Jane and Sam while Jackson pushed the stroller with a now-sleeping Ben.
"She's okay," Jane said quickly as Maura wrapped her arms around both Jane and Sam. "She's okay."
Maura took Sam from Jane's arms and held her tight, squeezing her eyes shut as relief flooded her mind and body. Jackson and Mia let themselves get wrapped up in Jane's arms. Finally, Maura made eye contact with Jane. She hoped that Jane could see in her eyes all the things she didn't want to say in front of the kids.
Jane gave her a soft smile. "I think maybe we all need some butterbeer," Jane said.
"Yes!" Jackson and Mia both exclaimed happily.
Jane held her arms out to take Sam back into her embrace. "Why don't you guys get the butterbeer? I saw a cart close to the bridge," she said, pointing back towards where the path split. "Give me a few minutes to talk to Sam?"
Maura nodded, wiping away the couple of tears that had managed to escape.
"Okay," Jane said. "We'll meet you guys by that little stage we saw earlier. It's just across from the butterbeer cart. Will you get me and Sam each a butterbeer, too?"
"Of course," Maura said, reaching out to give Sam a comforting rub on her back before leading her other children to the cart.
Jane carried Sam over to the bench that Maura and the other kids had just vacated. She set Sam down on the bench and kneeled in front of her. Sam refused to make eye contact as she stared at her hands in her lap. Jane placed her hands on her daughter's knees in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. She sighed before speaking, "Sam, baby, you scared us by running off like that."
Sam crossed her arms protectively across her chest, but otherwise, she didn't respond. Jane reached her hand up and gently guided Sam's chin so that she was forced to make eye contact with Jane. Jane looked into the sad hazel eyes that reminded her so much of her wife's eyes. "What you did was very dangerous," Jane explained patiently. "You know you are supposed to stay by me and mommy at all times. We have that rule because we want you guys to stay safe. Do you understand?"
Sam nodded as tears clouded her eyes. "I'm sorry, mama," she wailed as she threw herself into Jane's arms. Jane stood up with Sam in her arms and sat back down on the bench, so that Sam was now sitting in her lap.
"I know you're sorry, baby, but you know that doesn't fix everything." Jane lifted her daughter up and turned her so that she was still sitting on Jane's lap but was now facing her. Sam looked up into Jane's face, and Jane could read the contrition written all over her face.
Jane sighed. "You know that there are consequences for your actions," she said, and Sam nodded. "I think we can wait until after the trip for your punishment, though, okay?" Sam nodded again. "When we get home, you lose all of your screen time for a week."
"A whole week!" Sam said indignantly.
"Yes."
"But…but…"
"A week, Sam. Running away was a really bad choice, and you have to face the consequences."
Sam huffed in annoyance and crossed her arms in front of her again. Jane had to use every ounce of self-control she possessed to remain serious and not laugh at Sam's reaction.
"And Sam," Jane paused to make sure she had her daughter's attention, "if anything like this happens again while we are here, you're done with the trip, okay? You and I will stay in the hotel room for the rest of the trip while Mommy, Jackson, Mia, and Ben enjoy the parks."
Sam looked like she was going to argue but decided against it when she realized how serious Jane was. "I won't do it again," she said quietly, but Jane could still hear some of Sam's attitude leaking into her words. Jane pulled her daughter in a tight hug to hide her smirk.
"I love you so much, baby," Jane said into Sam's hair. "You scared us, okay?"
Sam nodded against Jane's chest and wrapped her arms around Jane to return the hug.
When Sam sat back, Jane smiled at her. "Now, should we go enjoy the rest of our vacation?" she asked.
Sam returned her smile and nodded.
Jane stood up, taking Sam with her. "Alright, let's go," she said as she walked back towards Hogsmeade. "You ready to try butterbeer?"
"Yes!" Sam said excitedly. Jane tickled her, causing Sam to giggle loudly in her arms. They immediately spotted the rest of the family and went to join them.
Maura smiled up at Jane and Sam as Jane leaned down to set Sam back on her feet. Jane sat down next to Maura and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
"Mia and I wanted to try both the regular butterbeer and the frozen butterbeer," Jackson explained. "And since the cups are pretty big, we decided to share, so we got two frozen and two regular butterbeers for all of us to split. Try the regular first, though," he told Sam as he handed her one of the drinks.
Sam took a sip. Her face scrunched in response to the bitterness of the cream soda base, but she had a big foam-mustache-topped smile when she pulled the cup away from her mouth. Jackson and Mia both laughed at Sam's mustache, causing Sam to start laughing as well. Sam went to lick the cream off her lip, but Maura stopped her, "Let me take a picture first."
Maura took a picture of Sam smiling with her mustache. Then Jackson and Mia both took a sip, so Maura took a few more pictures with all three of them adorned with foam-mustaches.
"Mama, too!" Mia said excitedly as she handed her drink to Jane. Jane obliged, taking a sip purposely allowing the cream to leave a foam mustache on her own lip, which Maura, of course, captured in more pictures.
After cleaning off her mouth and handing the drink back to the kids, Jane wrapped her arm around Maura's waist and pulled her close. Maura turned her head, so she was facing Jane, and their lips met in a soft kiss. Jane could taste the sweet drink on her wife's lips as she tried not to get lost in the kiss. Jackson's "eww!" followed by giggles from all three kids broke them apart.
Maura and Jane laughed at their kids' response as Maura leaned back against Jane's side. They sat like that for a while watching their kids interact; the kids' conversation filled with laughter as they continued to share the drinks.
After a while, they made their way back to the Forbidden Journey. Jane could tell that Sam was still upset that she couldn't ride, but she didn't say anything. The queue for the ride went through Hogwarts castle, so Sam's mood picked up for a while as she enjoyed the experience with her brother and sister. However, her pout was epic when she was forced to wait in the child swap area with Maura and a still sleeping Ben.
The Forbidden Journey exited directly into a gift shop, Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods. Maura found cute backpacks in each of the house colors, and she suggested to Jane that they get one for each kid so that they could carry their own items. Plus, they would hang easily on the handles of the stroller while the kids went on rides or when they inevitably got tired of carrying them. Outside the shop, Maura and Jane helped each of the kids put their pet and wand in their backpack.
Jackson and Mia agreed to wait to ride Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure when they realized it was another ride Sam wouldn't be tall enough to ride. Since they were planning to come back to the Harry Potter area of the parks every day, they decided to visit some of the other parts of the park, starting with Jurassic Park.
Ben had woken up by that point, and he was overly excited about all of the dinosaurs. Maura ended up buying him a stuff dinosaur while Ben, Mia, Sam, and Jane rode the Pteranodon Flyers, which Sam declared cool but boring, making Jane roll her eyes. While it was relatively slow since it was a ride designed for kids, she had still enjoyed it, and she knew Sam had as well. Since they would likely get wet on the Jurassic Park River Adventure, Jane convinced the kids to ride it another day when they could go back to the hotel right after.
After finishing the Jurassic Park area, they visited Skull Island, where they got in line to ride Reign of Kong. They were surprised to find that at 36.5 inches tall, Ben was actually tall enough to ride the ride, but in the end, Maura decided it wasn't a great idea as she was afraid he would be scared. After riding, Jane decided that this was probably a good idea. It wasn't necessarily a scary ride, but it was dark, loud, and likely too intense for a two-year-old.
By now, all of the kids were dragging, and Jane could tell that if they didn't do something relaxing soon, they were bound for a meltdown from at least one of them. After scanning over the map for an option, she suggested, "Why don't we get milkshakes at Captain America Café?"
"Yes!" Jackson, Mia, and Sam said together, while Ben yelled out "Yay!"
"Jane, that's too much sugar," Maura all but whined. "They already had Butterbeer."
"We have to do something where they can sit for a while, preferably in air conditioning, and it was all I could think of."
"Fine, but everyone is having a healthy dinner," Maura replied.
"Deal!" Jane said quickly, shooting her wife one of her trademark smiles. Maura tried to remain annoyed, but she couldn't help but smile back when her wife looked at her like that.
By the time they were all sitting down with their milkshakes, Maura could tell that the kids were exhausted, even if they didn't want to stop, so she suggested that they go back to the hotel and order room service. The kids reluctantly agreed, and Maura realized how good of an idea it was to head back to the hotel when Sam fell asleep on Jane's lap while they were on the water taxi. Mia didn't look far behind her sister as she leaned against Jane in a daze.
Jane gave Mia and Sam a bath while Jackson showered, and Maura ordered room service. They had options that would appeal to everyone in the family. She ordered the Portofino House Salad for Jane, the Greek Salad for herself, the spicy black bean & quinoa burger for Jackson, and the chicken fettucini alfredo for Mia and Sam to share. She made sure to ask for extra chicken and to add broccoli to the pasta since it wasn't the healthiest option on the menu. She also ordered fresh fruit for all of the kids. She wasn't sure what to get for Ben since the kids' options weren't very healthy, so in the end, she ordered the Turkey Club without mayonnaise with the intention of taking it apart and giving him the turkey, bacon, and tomatoes.
Once Jane, Mia, and Sam were done, Maura gave Ben a quick bath, so that all of the kids were clean by the time their dinner arrived.
After dinner, it was still early, so they decided to go down to the plaza to hear some of the live music. On the way there, they stopped at the gift shop where each of the kids decided to buy another stuffed animal with their gift cards. Jackson got Toothless the dragon from How to Train Your Dragon, and Ben got a minion. Mia got a Unicorn Pillow Plush like the one Agnes had in Despicable Me, and Jane and Maura both had to admit it was an adorable stuffed animal. Sam was having a hard time deciding between Snowball, Gidget, and Chloe from The Secret Life of Pets and Branch and Poppy from Trolls. After much deliberation and a threat from Jane that if she didn't choose soon, she wasn't getting anything, Sam finally settled on Poppy, the pink troll.
They found an empty table where they could sit and listen to the live music. Ben quickly curled up in Maura's lap with his little arm wrapped around his new minion. Sam made her way into Jane's lap not long after. They let Jackson and Mia explore a little as long as they stayed in their mothers' sight. Jackson took Maura's phone with him to get a few pictures of the plaza in the setting sun. Jackson was becoming quite the little photographer.
Eventually, the family made their way back up to their suite. All of them were exhausted, so the kids went to bed immediately after brushing their teeth and using the bathroom. Jane and Maura sat on the balcony a while longer, just enjoying the atmosphere and each other's company. They decided to go to bed early, as well, knowing that morning would come sooner than they'd like.
Jane tried not to wake Maura up as she tossed and turned in bed. Eventually, she gave up and went to sit out on the balcony.
Maura woke up just as the sliding door shut. She reached out to the other side of the bed, but it was empty. She quietly crawled out of bed, pulled on her robe, and followed Jane onto the balcony.
Jane looked up when Maura stepped out the door. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you," she whispered as Maura took the seat next to her.
"It's okay," Maura replied quietly. "Are you okay?"
"I couldn't sleep," Jane said, breaking eye contact with her wife. Maura reached out and placed her hand on Jane's shoulder, gently rubbing her upper arm in an attempt to offer some comfort. After a few moments, Maura shifted so that her chair was up against Jane's. She leaned over and wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders, pulling her close. She rested her chin on Jane's shoulder.
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until Maura broke the quiet. "Is it about what happened today? With Sam?"
Jane nodded, and she felt tears stinging the corners of her eyes.
"She's okay, Jane," Maura said gently. "She's just behind that door, asleep with her brothers and sister like she's supposed to be."
"I know," Jane said, but her voice cracked, and the tears broke free. Maura attempted to pull Jane closer in an effort to comfort her. Finally, Jane gave in and leaned towards Maura, allowing Maura to hold her while she let out all of her pent-up anxiety from the day.
"I didn't catch her," Jane said through her tears after a while. "The park attendant stopped her. I didn't catch her."
Maura kissed the top of Jane's head. "You did, Jane. Just because someone helped doesn't mean you didn't get to her." They hadn't had a chance to talk about what happened without the kids around since they had all fallen asleep around the same time, but Maura had pieced together some of what happened from Sam's comments throughout the rest of the day. She surmised that Sam had made it through Hogsmeade before a park worker dressed as a Hogwarts Express conductor – who Sam thought was an actual Hogwarts Express conductor – had stopped her progress, at which time Jane caught up to her.
"I know that you want to be able to protect them singlehandedly, but it's okay to accept help," Maura said reassuringly. "Sam is perfectly fine. She wasn't hurt, and I don't think she was even scared." Maura paused with a laugh. "I blame you for all four of their lack of fear by the way," Maura teased, giving Jane a poke in the side, but Jane didn't laugh.
"I blame myself for their recklessness, too," Jane said so quietly that Maura almost missed it.
"That's not what I meant, Jane," Maura said gently. She brought her hand up to brush Jane's hair off her face. She continued to run her fingers through Jane's curls as she continued, "All four of our kids are so much like you, and you have no idea how happy that makes me. They love with everything they have, they're protective of each other, they're brave, they're confident, and they're so so strong. Yes, they also have some of your stubbornness and defiance, but even if that sometimes makes parenting more difficult, we both know that will serve them well in life. Jane, they are so lucky to have you as their mother." Maura could feel Jane's tears soaking through her pajama top, and she wished she knew the right thing to say. Jane would know what to say if this was the other way around. "And I'm so lucky that you're my wife and that I get to parent with you. I was scared today, too, when she took off, but there is no one else in the world I would want to go after her. Neither one of us can prevent every possible bad thing that could happen to them, but I knew that you would do everything within your power to bring her back safely."
"But what if…" Jane started.
Maura cut her off. "Don't do that," she said quickly. "She's safe, and she's happy. Don't go through all the possible 'what ifs.' That doesn't help anyone, and it will only upset you."
Jane sighed and finally lifted her head off Maura's chest. Her face was still wet from the tears, but her eyes were clearer when she made eye contact with Maura. "I'm sorry," she whispered. Maura shook her head and leaned in to give Jane a gentle kiss.
"You have nothing to be sorry for," Maura replied. Finally, Jane nodded, and Maura gave her another soft kiss, this time on the cheek.
"She burst into tears when I got to her though," Jane said, realizing that maybe she needed to talk about this.
Maura nodded. "I think she realized at that moment what she had done. She realized that she had made a bad choice, and it overwhelmed her." Maura paused for a few moments before asking, "What did you guys talk about when you took her aside after you got back to us?"
"Just that what she had done was wrong and that she'd have to have a consequence. I didn't want to ruin the trip though, so I told her she would lose one week of screen time when she got home," Jane explained. "I don't really know if that was the right decision or if there should have been something more immediate."
Maura shrugged. She didn't really know either, but she trusted Jane's judgement.
"I did tell her that is she did anything like that again, her vacation was over," Jane continued. "I told her that she and I would spend the rest of the trip in the room while you and the other kids went to the parks."
Maura nodded. "I think that's a good idea, but I don't think she'll do it again. I think she learned her lesson, but if it does happen, I'll stay back with her, okay?" Maura said. "You'll go on more rides with Jackson and Mia, and I'd like to minimize the effect on their vacation."
"If it happens, we can figure it out," Jane said. "Hopefully, nothing else happens. You know, though, if this does happen, Jackson and Mia are probably going to protest and say they won't go to the park without Sam."
Maura laughed. "You're probably right. Let's just hope nothing happens."
"Otherwise, we're going to have spent thousands of dollars for all six of us to spend the whole time in the hotel room."
"We could just lock them all in the room and go have fun at the parks just the two of us," Maura teased.
Jane snorted. She knew Maura was joking; neither one of them would ever do something like that, but it was funny to think about. They stayed on the balcony, wrapped up in each other for a while longer before they eventually found their way back to bed. This time, Jane was able to fall asleep almost instantly as she allowed herself to enjoy her wife's comforting embrace. She fell asleep with her head on Maura's chest to the sound of Maura's steady, calming heartbeat. Maura followed close behind her.
A/N: Sam focused chapter
I've seen a pair of siblings be chosen for the wand ceremony at Ollivander's (as opposed to a single individual, which is more common), but I've never seen or heard of three being chosen. I have only been twice, but I read a bunch of WWHP blogs and no one has described three being chosen. I decided to go for it anyway since I think it's definitely a possibility. Plus, my story, my rules, lol.