Finished!
A/N: Well, this didn't take me as long to write. Anyway, Daniel and Erica are finished at Hogwarts, but Anna and Tiberius haven't even started yet!
When the Hogwarts Express took the students home for the summer holidays, two students were not on it. Daniel and Erica had finished at Hogwarts and were now gathered with their mother and stepfather in their sitting room. Minerva felt her heart swell with pride as she watched her son and daughter.
He'd grown into a handsome boy, although his black hair never would lie flat. His gray eyes, so like his father's, often sparkled with a zest for life that he had inherited from the same man. Though his impatience had been a problem in the past, it had taken a potions accident to bring him up short and show him the dangers of being impatient. Daniel had been mixing a potion that took time and he had added one too many ingredients to the mix and it had exploded, splashing most of the class, including his sister, because Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were together. The potion did not affect most of the students, but poor Erica had a strong allergic reaction to the potion, resulting in a loss of consciousness. The potions professor, Atticus Randall, had Daniel take Erica to the hospital wing immediately. The moment Albus heard, he contacted Minerva. For several hours, Erica had hovered between life and death. Daniel had been distraught, thinking only of the fact that his impatience had done this to her.
Erica had survived, however, and never blamed her brother. She was never the same again. A striking young woman, with rich brown hair that she usually pulled back into a single braid and deep blue eyes like her mother's, she would always be paler and frailer than most. She had always been more sedate in her tastes than her brother and the struggle with Death had left its mark upon her. She was unaware of the many pairs of male eyes that followed her progress through the corridors of Hogwarts, although her stepfather and brother weren't. Her fellow students knew they would have to go through Daniel if they wanted to get close to her.
At the moment, Daniel and Erica were seated side by side on the sofa in their best school robes. Minerva sat in a chair near the sofa, with Albus perched on the arm beside her, his hand on her shoulder, both in their best robes. "So, what's the surprise Mum?"
"Danny, hush," Erica chided her twin quietly.
"Sorry, Rica." He looked abashed.
Minerva laughed. "It's alright, Danny-boy, the surprise is almost here." A knock on the door startled the twins, causing Daniel to turn promptly in his seat. Erica glanced at Minerva before turning as well and noted that neither her mother, nor her stepfather, were surprised to hear the knock. "Come in!"
The door opened. "Mama!" "Mummy!"
Anna pelted across the room, closely followed by her younger brother. Minerva caught them in a tight hug before turning to the two older ones. "Don't you want to see your brother and sister?"
"Danny!" "Rica!" While Anna made a beeline for her brother, Tiberius made a beeline for his sister.
"Hello, Anna," Daniel laughed as he hugged her. "Wow, you've grown a lot since Christmas, haven't you?"
"Uh-huh!" Anna nodded, grinning broadly, her braid bobbing up and down her back and her bright blue eyes sparkling behind the oval spectacles she wore. "I have to, otherwise I won't be able to come here next fall."
He pulled her up onto his lap, chuckling. "You don't need to grow to come here, Anna. In fact, I've seen first years smaller than you!"
Anna giggled. "How about you, Tiber? Have you been a good little boy?"
"Yup!" he replied with a nod of his own, auburn hair falling into his dark blue eyes. "Otherwise, Aunt Bella wouldn't have let me come with Anna."
"Aunt Bella?" Erica looked up and smiled. "Aunt Bella! Uncle Kevin! Shawna!"
While the twins had been busy greeting their younger siblings, the smaller family had walked over to greet Minerva and Albus. "Danny-boy, Rica, why don't you two show Anna, Tiberius, and Shawna around the castle?"
"Sure!" Daniel had the decency to wait for Anna to slide off his lap before leaping to his feet. Tiberius slid out of Erica's lap and offered her a hand to help her up. Smiling slightly, Erica took both brothers' hands and stood up.
With Tiberius between Anna and Shawna and Daniel and Erica on either side of those two, the five left the sitting room to explore the castle. Arabella turned to her sister and brother-in-law. "You're sure, Min? Her name isn't in the Book at all?"
Minerva sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Bella. I know how important it was to you."
Kevin gently drew his wife into his arms. "Shh, Bella, shh. She'll continue with a Muggle education."
"It was so hard for me," Arabella sobbed as Albus and Minerva added themselves to the mix, wrapping her in their arms. "To watch Min and the others learn magic and all I could do was learn math and science and everything else. I don't want Shawna to go through that, either."
"We don't have much of a choice, Bella," Kevin murmured in her ear, stroking her soft strawberry-blonde hair.
By the time the youngsters had returned, Arabella had composed herself and, one by one, the nine of them Flooed to Leómann Cottage.
A/N: Well, this didn't take me as long to write. Anyway, Daniel and Erica are finished at Hogwarts, but Anna and Tiberius haven't even started yet!
When the Hogwarts Express took the students home for the summer holidays, two students were not on it. Daniel and Erica had finished at Hogwarts and were now gathered with their mother and stepfather in their sitting room. Minerva felt her heart swell with pride as she watched her son and daughter.
He'd grown into a handsome boy, although his black hair never would lie flat. His gray eyes, so like his father's, often sparkled with a zest for life that he had inherited from the same man. Though his impatience had been a problem in the past, it had taken a potions accident to bring him up short and show him the dangers of being impatient. Daniel had been mixing a potion that took time and he had added one too many ingredients to the mix and it had exploded, splashing most of the class, including his sister, because Gryffindors and Ravenclaws were together. The potion did not affect most of the students, but poor Erica had a strong allergic reaction to the potion, resulting in a loss of consciousness. The potions professor, Atticus Randall, had Daniel take Erica to the hospital wing immediately. The moment Albus heard, he contacted Minerva. For several hours, Erica had hovered between life and death. Daniel had been distraught, thinking only of the fact that his impatience had done this to her.
Erica had survived, however, and never blamed her brother. She was never the same again. A striking young woman, with rich brown hair that she usually pulled back into a single braid and deep blue eyes like her mother's, she would always be paler and frailer than most. She had always been more sedate in her tastes than her brother and the struggle with Death had left its mark upon her. She was unaware of the many pairs of male eyes that followed her progress through the corridors of Hogwarts, although her stepfather and brother weren't. Her fellow students knew they would have to go through Daniel if they wanted to get close to her.
At the moment, Daniel and Erica were seated side by side on the sofa in their best school robes. Minerva sat in a chair near the sofa, with Albus perched on the arm beside her, his hand on her shoulder, both in their best robes. "So, what's the surprise Mum?"
"Danny, hush," Erica chided her twin quietly.
"Sorry, Rica." He looked abashed.
Minerva laughed. "It's alright, Danny-boy, the surprise is almost here." A knock on the door startled the twins, causing Daniel to turn promptly in his seat. Erica glanced at Minerva before turning as well and noted that neither her mother, nor her stepfather, were surprised to hear the knock. "Come in!"
The door opened. "Mama!" "Mummy!"
Anna pelted across the room, closely followed by her younger brother. Minerva caught them in a tight hug before turning to the two older ones. "Don't you want to see your brother and sister?"
"Danny!" "Rica!" While Anna made a beeline for her brother, Tiberius made a beeline for his sister.
"Hello, Anna," Daniel laughed as he hugged her. "Wow, you've grown a lot since Christmas, haven't you?"
"Uh-huh!" Anna nodded, grinning broadly, her braid bobbing up and down her back and her bright blue eyes sparkling behind the oval spectacles she wore. "I have to, otherwise I won't be able to come here next fall."
He pulled her up onto his lap, chuckling. "You don't need to grow to come here, Anna. In fact, I've seen first years smaller than you!"
Anna giggled. "How about you, Tiber? Have you been a good little boy?"
"Yup!" he replied with a nod of his own, auburn hair falling into his dark blue eyes. "Otherwise, Aunt Bella wouldn't have let me come with Anna."
"Aunt Bella?" Erica looked up and smiled. "Aunt Bella! Uncle Kevin! Shawna!"
While the twins had been busy greeting their younger siblings, the smaller family had walked over to greet Minerva and Albus. "Danny-boy, Rica, why don't you two show Anna, Tiberius, and Shawna around the castle?"
"Sure!" Daniel had the decency to wait for Anna to slide off his lap before leaping to his feet. Tiberius slid out of Erica's lap and offered her a hand to help her up. Smiling slightly, Erica took both brothers' hands and stood up.
With Tiberius between Anna and Shawna and Daniel and Erica on either side of those two, the five left the sitting room to explore the castle. Arabella turned to her sister and brother-in-law. "You're sure, Min? Her name isn't in the Book at all?"
Minerva sadly shook her head. "I'm sorry, Bella. I know how important it was to you."
Kevin gently drew his wife into his arms. "Shh, Bella, shh. She'll continue with a Muggle education."
"It was so hard for me," Arabella sobbed as Albus and Minerva added themselves to the mix, wrapping her in their arms. "To watch Min and the others learn magic and all I could do was learn math and science and everything else. I don't want Shawna to go through that, either."
"We don't have much of a choice, Bella," Kevin murmured in her ear, stroking her soft strawberry-blonde hair.
By the time the youngsters had returned, Arabella had composed herself and, one by one, the nine of them Flooed to Leómann Cottage.