Dierna narrowed her eyes at her reflection on the full length mirror. She turned from side to side as she critically surveyed her reflection, trying to see herself as Stefan would. Her gentle curves and athletic figure were accented by her height. She was taller than her sisters and her mother. She smiled at herself in the mirror as she decided that she was happy with the way she looked. She had chosen to wear muggle clothing tonight and had on a long white skirt and a sleeveless turquoise top.
She sighed happily as she glanced at the clock on the wall. Only twenty more minutes before Stefan would be here. This day was definitely starting to get better.
"I'm amazed that the mirror hasn't shattered yet with someone as unappealingly nasty as you standing in front of it."
Dierna picked up the closest small object, her hairbrush, and threw it at Kamen where he stood in the doorway.
"I don't recall inviting you to come up here," she said through clenched teeth.
"My darling little sister, you aren't still mad at me for earlier, are you?" Kamen grinned widely; provoking his sisters was a game to him, one that he was particularly good at. "Besides, I didn't come up here to talk to you. I came to see if my nice sister wants to come practice with me. I've come to the conclusion that practicing quidditch by yourself is a waste of time, and I was looking for a partner. How about it Ser? Or are you too busy watching Dierna primp?"
Kamen narrowly avoided the book that Dierna had chosen as a projectile this time. "It appears that red heads really do have bad tempers."
"Why don't you get out of my room now?!"
"Alright, alright, I'm going. Are you coming Ser?"
Serena tried to contain her laughter at the way her siblings were acting. "Yeah, I'll come practice with you." She left the window seat and quickly pulled on her shoes, "Let's go! I just hope you're ready for me, I have every intention of running you into the ground."
"In your dreams, you're just lucky that you're able to practice with a superior quidditch play such as myself," Kamen smiled at the skeptic look Serena was giving him.
"You really are delusional Kamen. We should send you to St. Mungo's to have that checked out."
"Are you two leaving yet?" Dierna turned around from her position at the mirror to question the other two.
"Yeah, we're going," Kamen decided it would probably be best to leave before Dierna really got mad at him, "just one more thing. How did you manage to talk your way around Dad this time?"
Dierna waved a hand absently at Kamen, brushing his question off, "You know the answer to that Kamen, it's because I'm so sweet and angelic."
Kamen laughed as he turned to leave, "that's so not true, if you're sweet and angelic, then I must be the minister of magic." He turned and held the door open for Serena, and then quickly exited before Dierna could throw something else.
In the gathering dusk two figures met in front of an old manor home. They both wore long black cloaks with hoods to mask their identity. One of the men was tall and thin while the other was short and rather portly.
The tall man spoke, "What do you make of this summoning?"
His companion answered him as he slowly shook his head, "It makes me uneasy, but I feel that it is necessary to the cause."
The two men looked up as they heard someone coming up the path. The third figure joined them, and silently ran his hand over the family crest that decorated the high wall, which ran around the old estate.
The new arrival was attired in the same manner as the other men. The three of them knew that they were all united in the name of the cause. But they didn't always know who their fellow members were.
The newly arrived member spoke softly, "This may be our only chance to avenge the fallen dark lord. I only wonder if everyone is prepared for the consequences, should we fail."
The tall figure quickly answered, "This time we shall be victorious, there is no one to stand in our way."
The short figure shook his head again, despite the cover of the growing darkness and the cloak which hid his features he was still nervous, "No," he answered sadly, "There is still the boy who lived, he could cause us problems. But we must succeed in our mission, or He will make sure that we suffer for our errors."
Nimue closed the book she had been reading all afternoon. She didn't play quidditch like the twins or her brother, and she didn't lead the busy social lives that they did. She was by far the quiet one in the family. Even quieter than her oldest sister Viviane.
In truth, Nimue missed Viviane a great deal. The two of them had shared a room when Viviane still lived at home, and Nimue had almost hero- worshipped her oldest sister. Viviane had graduated from Hogwarts two years ago, and was currently living and working in Wales. Nimue and Viviane had very similar personalities, and were much more subdued and calm than their middle three siblings, who lived their lives in a whirl of chaos.
Nimue pushed a stray strand of her straight soft brown hair behind her ear as she stood up. Although she thrived on quiet and solitude she felt restless today. She was ready for the school term to start. Her rambunctious siblings were not her first choice of company in most cases. She longed for her group of friends at school who shared the same quiet demeanor that she herself possessed.
She sighed; there was nothing that really interested her at the moment. She liked to be kept busy, the summer just seemed to drag out, and left Nimue bored and listless. Plus, after what had happened last week, she didn't even feel like going into town for diversion.
Nimue picked her book back up; maybe she would go read in her father's study for awhile. He didn't mind when she did that. He often said that he preferred her quiet company to working alone. Nimue headed out of the library and headed down the hall to Severus' study. She quietly slipped in the door and walked over to an over sized chair that sat by her father's desk.
Severus looked up briefly as his youngest entered his study. Although as a parent of multiple children he would never admit to having a favorite, Nimue did hold a special place in his heart. After all, she was the youngest, and she was the best behaved of all his children. Not that the behavior, good or bad, of his children influenced the amount of love he felt for them. It was just that he could count the number of times he had had to raise his voice with Nimue on one hand, while he seriously doubted there was a number high enough to count the number of times he had lost his patience with Dierna, Serena, and Kamen.
There was another reason why Nimue was the closest to being Severus' favorite was that he saw her as his child. When she was born Morgan had become very ill. She was laid up for two months before she was even allowed out of bed. During that time Severus had somehow managed to look after the children on his own. During that two month period he had kept Nimue with him constantly. He had not been able to spend that kind of time with his other children when they were that little and it left a lasting impression on him. During that time Nimue, in his eyes, became solely his child. He was more than happy to share the other children with Morgan. But Nimue was his daughter.
"Dad?"
Severus looked up from his work, "what is it sweetheart?"
"Oh... never mind."
Severus continued to watch his daughter for a moment, even though she had returned her attention to her book. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to push her to talk. Years of parenting had taught him that each of his children would respond to him in very different ways. For instance, Nimue would get tears in her eyes even when he scolded her gently, while Dierna would rise to the challenge and become incredibly argumentative and aggressive whenever he confronted her.
He considered his choice of words with great care. His youngest daughter tended to be very sensitive, and the sight of female tears was more than Severus could handle. He had absolutely no idea what to do when his girls cried. Female emotions were the one thing that Severus was scared of, and the abundance of estrogen in his household had taught him to fear it even more.
"Nimue, sweetheart, is there something you wish to discuss with me?"
"Ummmm, I don't know... I guess I was just wondering when were going to move back into Hogwarts." Nimue quickly dipped her head back down and stared at the book in her lap without really seeing it.
Severus was concerned; he knew that his other children were constantly complaining about how short the summer was. Nimue, on the other hand, could hardly wait to go back. He worried about his youngest daughter. She hadn't seemed very happy at home all summer. And she had become increasingly quiet and had drawn into herself a great deal in the last week or so. Severus hoped that she would be happier when school started again and she was back with her school friends.
"We will return to Hogwarts on Sunday."
"Six more days," Nimue whispered softly under her breath.
Severus resisted the temptation to react too quickly; he could hear the strain in his daughter's voice. Something was not right. "Nimue, what is wrong?" Severus got up and walked over to where Nimue was sitting; he pulled up a footstool and sat directly in front of his daughter.
Nimue frowned at her lap, but remained silent. She wasn't sure of the best way to answer that question. In truth, there were several things that were bothering her. She just wasn't sure of the best way to voice her uncertainties.
"Look at me Nimue." Severus commanded softly. He waited until Nimue lifted her head up enough to meet his gaze before he continued gently, "If there is something that is bothering you, I want you to feel free to talk to me or your mother about it," he paused for a brief moment. "But, I do not want you to retreat back into yourself and grow distant. You have already started to do that this summer, and I feel partly responsible for that. I should have talked to you sooner about the way I feel about your continued silence and the way that you have secluded yourself in the library for almost the entire summer."
Nimue dropped her eyes, and debated exactly what she should tell her father. "It's just that I've been bored lately, and I want school to start again so that I have something to do."
Severus didn't think that Nimue's answer was complete. He still thought that there was something bothering her. He gently took her chin in his hand and raised her head up until he could see her eyes. "Nimue, I love you. Do not ever doubt that, but I worry about you. Now, I am going to drop this subject, but I want you to talk to me if you need to, understood?"
"Yes sir," Nimue fought back tears as she lowered her head again. She just couldn't tell him what was really bothering her, it was complicated and it scared her. She could feel the tears stinging her eyes, and her throat felt as though it was closing. She gratefully accepted the handkerchief that her father pressed into her hand before he returned to his desk.
Severus sat back down behind his desk, desperately hoping he had handled that situation right. There were times when his daughters put him completely out of his element, and this had been one of those times. Unfortunately his girls rarely opened up to their mother. On most occasions they ran to him with their problems.
Not that he minded being there for his daughters when they wanted to talk, but the female emotions always disoriented him and often left him wondering if he had handled the various situations in the best way possible.
Severus debated what to do next. He opted to retreat for awhile in order to give Nimue time to compose herself again. Severus headed toward the library, and then changed his mind. He had a feeling that it would probably be a good idea to check on Dierna before she went out. He wasn't overly pleased with his decision to extend her curfew for the night and felt the need to lay down the law before she went out.
Severus climbed the elaborate staircase in the main hall and headed down to the twins' room. The door was open, Severus stepped in and watched Dierna as she continued to brush her hair in front of the mirror, oblivious to the fact that he had entered the room. "Dierna," he saw the surprise in her face as she quickly looked up and turned around to face him. Severus took in his daughter's outfit. He did not like the lack of sleeves on her shirt.
"You will, of course, be wearing something over that shirt you have on," it was a command not a question.
"But Dad, its not..." Dierna trailed off, she decided that the look her father was giving her was not one to be messed with. "Yes sir."
"There is one more thing, I know that you have been going out with Stefan a great deal lately, but it has often been in a group setting. I expect that your behavior when you are alone with him will be nothing that I would have reason to question. This means that..."
"Dad, I promise, I won't do anything with Stefan that I don't do when we're with the group." Although Dierna knew her father liked Stefan, she also knew that he didn't like the idea of her having a boyfriend. He also appeared to be completely opposed to her having any physical contact whatsoever with the opposite sex.
Severus found that he didn't particularly like this response; it was rather vague for him. "Remember, not one minute late coming in or..."
"I know, I know, or I'll be grounded till school starts. I'll be fine Dad, stop worrying." She quickly grabbed a lightweight sweater and pulled it on. "So, do I pass inspection now?"
Severus found that the temptation to lock his daughter in her room until she was married rather overpowering. "Your appearance is more acceptable, but I want you to promise me..."
"Don't worry Dad, I won't do anything scandalous. So, can I go now?"
Severus searched for some excuse to tell his daughter to keep her from going out, but knew that she would see right through it. "Go, and make sure you behave yourself."
"Bye Dad!" Dierna quickly hugged her father and ran out of the room to tell her mother that she was leaving.
Severus headed back down to his study. He wasn't ready to admit that his children were growing up.
Dierna bounded down the stairs and had the door open before Stefan had a chance to knock. Stefan beamed down at his girlfriend. He was a tall young man, with dark brown hair and dark eyes. Dierna knew that she loved him; he would always be the only one for her.
Stefan reached down to grab Dierna around the waist and pulled her close to him for a kiss. She was the most amazing girl he had ever met. And even though he had graduated and was out on his own, he knew that he would never find another woman who could lay such a firm claim to his heart as the auburn beauty who stood in his grasp. He didn't ever want to let her go.
"Are you ready to go out doll?"
"I'm always ready to go out with you," Dierna could feel herself melting as Stefan pulled her in even closer. She closed her eyes for a brief moment as she leaned against him. When she was with Stefan everything seemed right in the world, it was a feeling that she didn't ever want to end.
"My parents are out of town this week, so I thought that I would make you dinner at their house, does that sound good to you?"
Dierna's eyes widened in appreciation of what Stefan would do for her. He hated to cook; he hardly ever cooked for himself, even though he was living on his own now. "Anything that I do with you is wonderful."
The two of the walked down the path together, hand in hand, as the sun began to set in a magnificent display of color. The night was theirs.
Kamen tossed the quaffle from one hand to the other while he decided on the best way to practice. He was a chaser and Serena was a beater for their house quidditch team. This made coordinating a practice with just the two of them rather difficult. It would be easier if Dierna was here too. Since she was also a chaser it made it fairly convenient for the three siblings to practice together. But with her out on a date they would have to improvise.
"How about you play as a chaser with me so that I can try out some new strategies I've come up with."
"How about I actually practice being a beater, since that's what I am?"
"And how is that supposed to help me practice?"
Serena rolled her eyes at her brother's response. Typical. He wanted her to come practice with him, but she wasn't going to get in any practice that pertained to her position. Why did Kamen do stuff like this to her? Serena considered it to be typical male logic. They only thought of themselves and assumed that everything they did was amazing.
Sometimes she really hated her brother.
"Come on Ser, we're losing light and I wanna run through all of these maneuvers."
"Fine, just tell me what to do," Serena tried to keep the bitterness out of her voice. She hated it when he shortened her name to "Ser". She was not very happy with her brother at the moment.
Kamen directed Serena through the chaser moves he had designed, constantly criticizing her for her lack of technique. Serena was trying to suppress her rage, and was trying not to think about exactly what she was going to do to her brother once they were both on the ground.
"You know Ser, we should probably work on your beater technique for a while, you could really use my help. I'd be happy to show you the right way to do things."
Serena was seething. She was instantly back down on the ground and started walking back to the house.
"Hey Ser! What's wrong? You know this kind of quitter attitude won't get you very far on the quidditch team this year."
Serena whirled around to face her brother, her face dark with rage. "First, you are not the team captain so I don't need you telling me what I need to do to improve my game. Second, you are a chaser, I am a beater, I don't tell you how to play your game, and you don't tell me how to play mine. And third, if you ever treat me like this again I will take your head off with a bludger during our first game!" She turned on her heel and continued into the house leaving Kamen staring after her in shock.
Serena dropped her quidditch gear in the hallway in front of the library, then entered the room and began to pace furiously.