"J-James? Mum says get up or you'll regret it." A small girl poked her head into her older brother's room, trying to wake him.
"Tell her I'll be down in a minute," he sleepily replied. He got dressed quickly and hurried down. He heard the familiar sound of his older brother as he talked loudly in the kitchen.
"Seriously mum, do you know how easy Apparition is?"
"Yes, I know how easy it is Magnus, as I can do it also!" their mother, Phyllinda, snapped impatiently.
"Now that's enough on the subject! Where's James? Didn't I sent Tempesta up 5 minutes ago?"
"I'm right here!" James called.
"Good! Do you know what day it is?"
"Saturday?"
"June 30! Your father has that party tonight! Cornelius Fudge and Ludo Bagman are coming, I expect you all to be on your best behavior and do anything your father and I ask today."
"Aww, Mum! You're only looking for an excuse for us to get stuck with housework!" James complained.
"You're right, and it's a very good one!" she snapped. Magnus and Tempesta groaned as well.
"Now, all of you, get going!"
Magnus elbowed James on their way up the stairs. He did it three more times before James finally barked, "Cut it out Magnus!"
James was only 11, while Magnus was already 16. He had received his Apparition licsense early because their mum had suggested it to the Ministry of Magic itself. Tempesta was 9.
Magnus sniggered evilly. "Guess what I can do?" James was used to this game, Magnus played it all the time. He sighed deeply and returned with, "What can Magnus do?"
"APPARATE!" Magnus shouted gleefully. He loved rubbing it in James's face; not to mention everyone else in the house's. "Magnus! Shut your mouth about Apparition and get cleaning!" Phyllinda screamed at them.
Tempesta was making her way quietly up the stairs, ignoring the boys' completely. "Aww, is poor Tempy booored?" Magnus said in a sing-song voice. Tempesta turned suddenly red.
"Don't call me 'Tempy' or I swear I'll tell Mum!" she snapped.
"Oh, soorry, Tempy! Didn't mean to upset you, Tempy! I think you're letting your tempy go, Tempy!"
"MUUUUUUM!!!!" Tempesta screeched. Magnus raced up the stairs, closely followed by James, who didn't want to catch the blame. He made it into his room and slammed the door, thinking he should start there first.
Two hours later, he had cleaned his room, the upstairs bathroom, the kitchen, and the closet upstairs. He tiptoed down the stairs, making his way towards the door. On the last bend of the spiral (it's a spiral staircase, by the way), he checked briefly to make sure to coast was clear. With Phyllinda nowhere in sight, it seemed he was home-free!
No sooner had he turned the doorknob when his mother's booming voice sounded directly behind him.
"James! Done with housework?" Thinking fast, he said, "Just my room left!"
"Where were you going?"
"I was going to go over to, er, well, um, Chris's house! But I suppose I'll just go back up to my room and-"
"Ah ah ah, I don't think so. You're going to go now and clean, hmm, how about the living room?"
"Mum! No, please, I'll clean anything but the living room! You know I'm no good at that!"
"All right, fine, clean the basement!"
"Living room it is! I'd never disobey you mother!" James rushed off to the messy living room without further conversation.
Soon it was 6 o'clock (going by Muggle time!), and their father was home. "James dear!!!" Phyllinda breathed when she saw him. "I was getting worried!"
It did get quite confusing, living with a father that had the very same name you did. Often times, James got perplexed, but it seemed his father never did.
A half hour later there was a loud popping from the fire, and Cornelius Fudge emerged; soon followed by Ludo Bagman. Bagman walked over to James and clapped him on the shoulder. "Looks like your dad's raising you right, eh?" James smiled weakly, not quite understanding. Bagman laughed heartily and walked over to shake hands with James's dad.
They all went into the dining room to start dinner, when the phone rang. "I'll get it!" Magnus said abruptly, already out of his seat. Sensing something both interesting and suspicious, James bolted to the phone first.
"Hullo?"
"Magnus dear? Come over right now, please, I need you to-"
"Hello? Hello? This is Magnus! Awfully sorry there, Chelsey, my incompetant little brother James answered," Magnus snatched the phone right out of James's hand; but James was grateful, he didn't want to know how that sentence ended. But from his point of view, Magnus must have been very excited about it.
"N-now? Oh, you couldn't have picked a worse time! The Minister of Magic and the Head of Magical Games and Sports are having dinner with us, my mum would never let me, I couldn't possibly…oh, that sounds too good to pass up…I'll be there in a bit, I'll make something up! Love you, g'bye!" Magnus hung up the phone airily and turned around to be face-to-face with James.
"Where're you going Magnus?" he asked, smirking.
"Chelsey needs some desperate help with her Arithmancy homework, which only I can provide, and she's even offered me a strawberry cheesecake! Yum yum!" Magnus lied with a glint in his eye. James scowled. There was no way to prove he was lying.
Magnus walked back over to the table and made light conversation for a half hour, then he hastily explained to his mother (and the rest of the table) how much Chelsey needed help on her homework ("Arithmancy makes her strain oh so much!"), and how she had offered him dessert. Their mother of course let him go, while Ludo Bagman and Cornelius Fudge both commented on what a good student he was going to be, saying how he'd one day be on the Ministry alongside them.
Magnus was almost out the door when James exploded. "He's lying!" Everyone hushed for a moment. All eyes were focused on James.
"Well, can't you tell?" he asked uneasily. His mother gave him a threatening look. He shouldn't have said anything. "Er, I mean, I know Chelsey's great at Arithmancy, he just must be helping her with Transfiguration!" he covered worriedly. They all turned to Magnus.
"Ha ha ha!" He laughed forcedly. "My little bro, never missing a detail! He's right, of course! She just didn't want anyone to know, so very sorry!" He was desperate to get out the door, so turned aptly and slid through it. Conversation picked up again after he was gone.
After dinner, James went up to sulk in his room. He didn't feel much like partying with the Minister of Magic and Ludo Bagman, they were too loud. Soon a small knock came on his door. "Come in."
Tempesta opened the door a crack. "Can I-"
"I said come in!" James said impatiently.
"I was just wondering…what is Magnus really up to?"
"Y-you believed me?"
"I knew it couldn't just be about Transfiguition!"
"That's Transfiguration, Temp. But yeah, you're right, but you wouldn't really understand."
"B-bet I would!" she fought eagerly.
"I'm surpised I even know! Tempesta, you really wouldn't."
"Are they doing it?"
"TEMP!!!" James shouted in surprise. The voices downstairs faltered. "T-Temp! D'you know what that means?" She nodded.
"W-well, I don't know for sure, but I think so! Why else would he want to leave so quick?" James asked, settling down again. Tempesta shrugged.
"Maybe he really likes strawberry cheescake!" James shuddered. "Y-yeah, maybe."
James laid awake in bed until 1 in the morning, when the phone rang. He picked it up before it woke up anyone else. "Who's this?" a tired voice asked on the other end. James didn't answer.
"Muum?? Is that YOU?" it asked. Still James didn't speak.
"Wanna know what I'm doin???" James knew all along it was Magnus, but recognized the voice for sure now. No, and if you tell me, I'll never forgive you! James thought miserably.
"I'm at Chelsey's, I'ma spend the night and have-" James slammed down the phone before he heard the dreadful word. He climbed back into bed, trying to block out what he had just heard, wondering desperatly why Magnus had even called.
The next morning, Tempesta again woke James. "Who called last night?" she asked. He sighed.
"Magnus."
"What'd he say?"
"He called to tell us, that he wouldn't be home at all last night." James wanted to tell her, wanted to so bad, but she was just too young to take the truth when the truth was so harsh and disgusting. They went downstairs for breakfast.
"Did the phone ring last night?" Phyllinda asked.
"N-no," James lied. His silence was enough for Tempesta to keep quiet.
"Has Magnus come home yet?" she asked.
"Nope," James's voice didn't falter this time, perhaps giving him away.
"Where is he?"
"Chelsey's, like he said." Realizing how sure he sounded, James added, "I-isn't he? Where else might he be?" Phyllinda shrugged. James couldn't quite figure out why he was covering up for Magnus, instinct maybe. No sooner had he said that then Magnus walked through the door. He didn't look well.
James hurried over to him before their mum even got a word in, and ushered him upstairs. "You called?" he asked angrily when he had him safely upstairs.
"I did? When did I called?" Magnus asked groggily.
"1 am last night, how can you not remember?" Magnus suddenly looked very panicked.
"W-what'd I say to ya?"
"Um, well," James searched for an easy way out, a way to keep Magnus from being horribly embarrassed. "You said, er-"
"Listen man, I know I was drunk, I just wanna know if I was tellin' the truth or not!" Magnus said loudly.
"You were drunk? Magnus, I may have thought it, but didn't believe…YOU'RE 16!!"
"I know I know! I've been tryin to quit man, I really have! I just can't! And I haven't even gone all the way with Chelsey…"
"What? Yes you have! You told me last night! I even heard her!"
"What?! Oh man!!!" Magnus screeched. "I was so drunk…oh man…oh man…oh man!" Magnus stomped into his own room angrily. James calmed himself, hardly able to wait any longer for his letter to Hogwarts.
Yes, James knew he was going to Hogwarts already. Both his parents were of magical descent, so it was almost a given. His letter should be arriving soon.
Why hope suddenly for a simple letter? To escape the house of chaos. With Magnus's problems looming over James constantly, he could hardly tell anymore where he ended and Magnus began. Suddenly he thought of something. He hopped out of bed and knocked on the Magnus's door.
"Hey, I got a question for you!" he called.
"Whaddayawant?" Magnus slurred.
"Why do you drink a Muggle drink? It should be quite easy for you to quit!" Silence met him then.
"I dunno, I think Chelsey's a Muggle, I really can't remember…" James rolled his eyes. How drunk did you have to be?
"Yeah, well, quit or I promise to tell Mum on you!" James stalked away, not wanting to hear any retaliation.