Chapter Thirteen

Home Additions

Since Andrew had gone to Whitebridge and their tennis lesson was canceled, Laura decided to take advantage of having the day off and accepted her cousin's invitation to come and see the new house.

"I wish they could have finished it just a wee bit earlier," John said as they walked up to it. It was on the exact same lot as it had been before, but now it had a picket fence with low lanterns on every forth post (Laura recognized them at once as being security lanterns), and a larger covered porch with an old fashioned bench swing on chains. There was an elaborate ironwork screen door, set in front of a white door with a small frosted window towards the top. "I really would've liked the extra time to help Mitch unpack, but neither Alex nor Harry wanted us to move back in without all the security improvements firmly in place, and Zack had limited time to install the last of them," John explained.

"True, but don't you feel a little better knowing that it's all in place now and Uncle Mitch has many ways of leaving in an emergency?" Laura said.

"Aye, and also the piece of mind of knowing the building's well sealed against anyone using that accelerant t'try an' blow it up again," John admitted. "It was a terrible price, but Sirius an' Taylor Brittle started an account with the Co-op on our behalf to help cover what the insurance didn't pay for, and it helped us get it done. Although to be fair, I feel a bit uncomfortable about being treated like we were in need of charity."

"Nonsense, it's just neighbors helping neighbors. That's what people are supposed to do when a neighbor needs help," Laura assured him, then suddenly she started sniffing the air. "I smell something interesting baking. Or is that just me?"

"Considerin' I warned your Uncle Mitch you were comin', I doubt it is," John chuckled, unlocking the two doors and letting himself in. "Fear céile! We're here!" he called out.

"In the kitchen!" Mitch replied.

"There, you see?" John grinned. He led Laura through a sea of boxes through the hallway and into a kitchen that was easily three times the size of the original, with Delft tiles on the walls and both a modern Wiz-o-matic cooker and a wood-burning oven next to a small fireplace. The counters were marble, and there as a small table nestled in a corner next to the window with two chair. Beside the table was a box filled with restaurant dishes that Mitch had found in a supply shop. It had been recently opened and a couple sets of dishes had been pulled out of the box before it had been shoved aside for later. On top of the counter sat an icy blue pastry board, still dusted with flour.

"Well! I don't see much progress in here since I left!" John chided Mitch.

"Not true, John. I got out all of my baking pans and mixing bowls," Mitch informed him with a smile.

"Now why do I suspect tha's a very recent development... as recent as this mornin', as a matter o'fact," John said knowingly. "Where have you been unpackin' then? The bedroom?"

"Um, well, no, but I did get some extra sheets out..."

"Why don't you pick the most obvious answer, Uncle John?" Laura teased.

"Aye, let's go take a peek at the gym," John agreed.

"Oh, not yet! Wait for me! I've got to get the tartlets out first," Mitch protested.

"I knew it!" Laura said with a grin.

"Well then, let me find the cooling racks, I suppose," John said, peering in the boxes.

"And I'll fill the kettle," Laura offered. Just in time, John found the racks and Mitch was able to pull all of the tartlets out. Laura put the kettle on and pulled out an extra cup, saucer, and plate and set the table.

"Alright! It's safe to go downstairs now," Mitch decided.

"The lord and master has spoken," John teased. John got swatted at when he passed by Mitch, but he ducked it and hurried on to show Laura the door to the basement. "I'm afraid the blast did a real number on the gym. We had to reinforce the entire basement because of it, and then Sirius and Remus insisted we put a fireplace down here to have another emergency exit. There's also a door to a small root cellar, which has its own door leading outside. From this side it's obvious where the door is, but from the other side, it isn't," John explained leading her downstairs.

"That sounds like something Severus might have thought up," Laura admitted, following him down the stairs.

But John stopped short in amazement, and Laura had to peer around him. The entire gym had been completely set up in the week he had been at work, including all of the floor-length mirrors. Only a couple of crates of full of weights were left to be put away.

"Impossible! Mitch, I don't care what you tell me. There is no way you can convince me that you set this all up on your own. And look, there's the bench press we got from Mr. Toby's, just as sure as that board upstairs was exactly the same," John realized.

"Yes, it is. Ambrose said he found them sitting in the back room of the tinker shop just after his father went on holiday," Mitch explained. "He said that the bench, the pastry board, and even my scraper had tags on them that read, 'Lost and Found,' so Ambrose decided that we didn't have to pay twice for them."

"Ah, bless that old man for his kindness," John said with a chuckle and a shake of his head.

"As for the rest, I went to Willowby's Wands and Weeds for a strength potion," Mitch admitted. "But Corey wouldn't let me have it until I told him why I wanted it. Afterwards, he still wouldn't let me have it, and he and his three friends came over yesterday and put it together for me."

"That does make a great deal more sense," John agreed, turning to Laura. "Remind me to spare a kind word to Danyelle when we get back to the castle."

"I'm sure you won't forget," Laura chuckled. "But what about those tarts, Uncle Mitch? I want the first pick!"

"Aye," Mitch said with a smile.

"Then afterwards, I want to help finish putting those dishes away!" Laura decided enthusiastically.

"And the rest of the pots and pans and the like as well," John agreed, the two of them completely ignoring Mitch's protests not to trouble themselves as they went back up the stairs.

Frank wandered by the Items Room on Monday morning, deciding that would be the best time to check up on Jennifer. He was quite surprised when he looked inside and saw Dean Elk setting up for class, while Radiance supervised from his shoulder.

"Good morning, Frank," Wind said when he saw him.

"Oh, sorry to bother you. I was just going to check to see if Jennifer was able to finish that kit she was working on over the weekend," Frank explained.

"I believe so, if that's it over there," Wind said, pointing at a Wizardnet computer on the top of the project shelf. "Jennifer is going to be out on a family matter for a few days, so I'll be teaching Items until she gets back. But if you see Raymond, tell him not to worry; she should be back by Friday."

"I will," Frank said, more than a little curious about what caused her to be absent this time.

When Severus was finally able to get away, he arrived at the Craw Mansion to find Thomas and Jennifer sitting side by side on the sofa in the living room. Thomas was carrying an auburn-haired baby wearing a pink sleepsuit with sparkling Glassilk stars embroidered on it, while Jennifer carried an auburn haired baby in a blue sleepsuit with the same embroidery on it. Bundled up in a soft chair in her dressing gown and a comfortable blanket on her lap sat Fleur. She had regained her human form for the most part, except for a spare feather here and there that seemed to be stuck at random in her platinum blonde hair. Several other family members were scattered around, some in the kitchen, while others sat in various other places around the room. Thomas tolerantly let Corey take a few photos of the twins with Jennifer's camera. Severus stood well back, leaning against the wall next to the dining room.

"Are you just about done with that thing? I would like to meet my new brother and sister as well," Severus complained. Everyone in the room looked over at him with amusement.

"I will tell him to put away the camera on one condition," Thomas declared. "If you tell me their names."

"You don't know?" Severus asked expressionlessly. Jennifer laughed silently.

"Yes, I do, but I was wondering if you knew them," Thomas said. "Don't anybody tell him," he added for good measure, squinting at Alex suspiciously.

"I haven't said a thing," Alex promised.

"Corey, if he hesitates any longer, you have my permission to turn the camera on him," Thomas said.

"Severus, don't you dare break my camera," Jennifer quickly said for good measure.

"Let me ask you this, Thomas," Severus said evenly. "Would you love them any less if one or both of them weren't in the school registry?"

"No, of course not," Thomas said defensively, Jennifer smiling at him warmly. "But if that's the case, I'd like to know sooner rather than later, so I can plan ahead and teach myself how to raise a magicless child."

"I'm sure I can give you plenty of references, Grandfather," Corey assured him.

"At the moment, I'm simply grateful to have a chance to raise a daughter like a daughter, and without a dark shadow over her head... and a chance to raise a son without setting any expectations on him but to be his best self," Thomas explained.

"I'm so proud of you, Thomas," Fleur said contently from where she sat with her teacup.

"I'm proud of him too," Jennifer said happily.

"Me too," Maurice added, from where he stood behind his mother's chair.

"I'll admit he has come a long way from when he first returned to this country," Severus agreed.

"So have you," Thomas retorted.

"But there is something I ought to point out, and that is that the date is a bit inconvenient. Autumn doesn't start for over three weeks," Severus explained. Jennifer beamed at him knowingly.

"The end of August is autumn as far as I'm concerned, whether we've reached the Equinox or not," Thomas said defensively.

"And I'll also admit that Anthos was a new one to me. But after Arcadia told me what it meant, it made perfect sense. You named him after his mother," Severus said, and Fleur smiled at that.

"Corey, go ahead and put that thing away until he leaves," Thomas said. Corey smiled and put it on the mantle. "I don't suppose you got a reading from those centaurs?"

"Not in this weather, no. You'll simply have to wait until the rain is over. You know the centaurs' rule is on that; it'll be the first reading they get once the sky clears," Severus said, sitting down next to Jennifer.

"You see, Severus, good things can come from a bit of weather," Jennifer teased, handing Severus her brother.

"Yes, but I'm rather surprised you didn't have middle names picked out before this," Severus said. "But considering the names Anthos Storm and Autumn Zephyr, I assume that you didn't."

"Actually, we did," Thomas grunted. "But Aurelius beat us to it when they had their twins two weeks ago."

"We were still considering using Audi and Alastor as middle names even after we heard about it," Fleur admitted. "But then Thomas suggested naming them after the storm last night, and I thought Autumn Zephyr was very pretty! And Anthos Storm sounds strong, doesn't it?"

"With a hidden soft side for good measure," Jennifer said with amusement. "And they certainly sound like Craw names, don't they?"

"Well, they are now regardless, aren't they?" Thomas said.

"Can we come join the party?" Beth asked, carrying Edgar on her hip. Garvan followed behind with Abigail.

"The more the merrier," Jennifer chuckled, accepting Autumn from her father as he got up to get a fresh drink. "In fact, I love this house right now. Any time I have the urge to hold a baby, I can find one."

"Actually, I'm a little surprised that the two of you are still here, Garvan," Alicia admitted from where she stood by the dining room with a glass of her own in hand. "Now that everything's settled down, I figured you two would be eager to get out on your own."

"Well, right now it's a bit tricky, actually, especially with Natalie and Hope in Canada for their Canadian Flyers training," Garvan said. "Fleur and Beth are our fill-in sitters, so it only makes sense to stay until we can figure out some sort of other arrangement."

"Nobody is going to be kicking you out, Garvan, stay as long as you like," Thomas said with a shrug.

"Well, if you need anyone on the weekends, just holler," Alicia offered.

"Oh, I see. You're volunteering me," Pyther chuckled knowingly.

"Well, I do better with kids a little bit older, is all. Oil paint and nappy changes don't mix," Alicia explained.

"I'll take her whenever you want, Garvan, as long as you give me a day's notice in case I'm in the middle of long brewing potion or something," Corey told Garvan, even taking Abigail off his hands for good measure. "To be honest, I wouldn't mind spending a bit more time with her."

"Sure, we'll arrange something then," Garvan said, smiling in understanding. Jennifer's own smile was content and yet distant, so much so that Thomas, standing by the fireplace with his glass, picked up on it.

"And just what are you thinking about, Jen-girl?" Thomas inquired, pulling her attention back to her surroundings. Now even Severus was looking at her questioningly, feeling her shiver against him.

"I guess my time at Whitebridge and being away from here is already having an effect on me," Jennifer admitted apologetically. "I'm just so amazed to be here right now, all things considered," she explained. "I still remember what it was like to show up at Hogwarts with mother missing, and everyone thinking you were dead, Father, and me the last Craw, and probably the last Keeper, too, considering how hellbent the Death Eaters were in getting rid of me," she recalled. "I had by no means given up the fight; I was quite driven to find out what happened to my mother, and I wanted to teach at Hogwarts where my parents graduated. But the idea of ever having my family back, let alone a family of my own... it felt like such a pipe dream back then. And yet I am sitting here holding my little sister, and watching Corey over there, bartering for more time with his grandchild... it's all a bit astounding, really, and a bit overwhelming."

"Quick, grab the babies! She's going to lose it," Thomas declared, rescuing Autumn while Severus handed Anthos off to Maurice to try to comfort Jennifer as she began to sob.

Alicia shook her head, glancing at Alex.

"Only our mother would start crying just because everything is going good," Alicia said flatly.

"It's more about what just caught up with her, Alicia," Thomas said, handing Autumn to Fleur, who smiled at him knowingly. "And what caught up with her was how much hard work, sacrifice, and pain it took to get us to this point, not to mention how much risk-taking, perseverance, and refusal to give in even when the odds were stacked against us so high that there was barely a way forward. It took Fate, a bit of luck, and even a miracle or two. But most of all, it took the Craw family's determination to survive and the Snape family's undefeatable hearts to get here. That is why she's losing it," he explained. But he rolled his eyes when she kept sobbing into Severus' shoulder even after the speech.

"So it's just like you did just after these two were born, Thomas?" Fleur ventured mischievously.

"Ixnay, Ifeway," Thomas muttered to her, but most of the family risked a small chuckle at the exchange.