Harry Potter and all its characters belong to J. K. Rowling. I am just borrowing them. Please don't sue me.
Author's Note: Yes, I know it's been a very long time, but my life has been very hectic lately. Thanks to chubz88 for taking the time to drop me a line.
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"Mom!" Again, Laurel succeeded in dragging out the word for far longer than anyone else Artemis had ever heard. "Ian took my purse!"
"Ian, give back your sister's purse," Artemis commanded absently as she paused to open the door to the Leaky Cauldron. She propped it open with her foot (she had Lyddie balanced on one hip and Katrina on the other) and did a quick head count as the kids filed past. Nine plus the two in her arms. The little girls were really too big to be carried, but she didn't want to risk losing them in the hustle and bustle of either Muggle London or Diagon Alley.
"Fiddles and mulch," Laurel sneered at Ian. The fourteen-year-old's oh-so mature response was to stick out his tongue at her.
Artemis let the door shut behind her and bumped the teen with her hip, herding him in the direction of the pub's courtyard. "Head straight to the back, and, no, Todd, we're not stopping for drinks." The other fourth year—who hadn't even had the chance to get a single word out—snapped his mouth shut, a look of disappointment on his face. The only access into Diagon Alley was through the Leaky Cauldron; otherwise she'd have not brought the family in here. Not that this was a particular rough pub (she'd spent more than enough time in those during her days as an Auror, thank you very much), but it was dingy and had a slightly disreputable air to it. Of course, Todd and Ian were enamored. The Unholy Trio seemed more excited about what lay beyond the pub—today, both Laurel and Benjamin were getting their wands.
Uncle Albus had sent her a message by owl post saying that while there was still no official word from Fudge about whether or not Benjamin could start school this year, he strongly believed that the boy would be allowed in. They wouldn't know until right before the term started. Between hosting the World Cup and some other secretive project that she'd been hearing rumors about, the Minister of Magic didn't seem to have the time to expend much thought over the matter of a small, blond boy. She'd decided to treat it as if they had been given the ok and buy him his school supplies today, along with the rest. If all else failed, then they could always save them until next year. The kind of wand Benjamin needed was not going to change in twelve months.
They were going now, before the World Cup, in hopes of not only avoiding the pre-term rush but also maybe getting a few discounts. She'd spent the last couple of nights meticulously combing the house for books that could be handed down to the younger children. This morning, she'd made the final notation on the list that was now tucked into the pocket of her robe. They should have everything by the time they headed home tonight…theoretically. In a perfect world, Amelia's things could be handed down to Shiloh who in turn would hand them to Celia and so on. Unfortunately, they didn't live in a perfect world, and children damaged books beyond use, took different electives, and came—in the case of Ian and Todd and now Laurel and Benjamin—two to a year.
"Can you hold her?" Artemis asked Amelia as they stepped out the pub's back door and into a tiny courtyard. Except for a trash can in dire need of emptying and a handful of weeds, there was nothing inside of it. After transferring Lyddie to Amelia's arms, Artemis took her wand from her pocket and touched it three times against a certain brick in the courtyard wall. As they watched, a hole opened in the wall and grew into an archway leading into Diagon Alley—the wizarding world's equivalent of a shopping mall. "First stop, Madam Malkin's," she directed her brood. "Ian and Todd need dress robes, and Benjamin and Laurel need the basics." This statement elicited tortured groans from her two adolescent sons.
"Mom…" Ian started to whine a whine worthy of Laurel.
She glared at him. "What?"
It was Todd who answered. "I've seen pictures of people in dress robes, Mom. They're just not our style."
"Yeah," his brother backed him up, "I ain't wearing no lace."
Artemis raised an eyebrow. "Who said anything about lace?"
"All the robes in those pictures have lace around the collar—even on the guys' stuff," Todd explained.
"Well, I think the current fashions don't have any lace, so you won't have to worry about that," she assured him as she pushed open the door to the robe shop. "But you'll each need a set for Yule Ball."
"I ain't going to any stupid dance," Ian groused, folding his arms over his chest. He was shorter than Todd and stockier, the only one of her boys who didn't look like he'd blow away in a strong wind.
"I went to my first Yule Ball in my first year," Artemis informed him, giving him a look that warned she wasn't going to tolerate much more nonsense from him.
So focused on the two fourteen-year-olds was she that she missed the weighted look that passed between Shiloh and Amelia. As Shiloh shoved his glasses up the bridge of his nose, Amelia turned to her mother and asked, "So who asked you to the dance, Mom?"
Artemis looked back at her eldest, startled. "I…um, I don't remember." It was a lie, and both mother and daughter knew it. "I didn't know him very well." Maybe, if she kept going, this would sound more plausible. "He thought I was cute, so he asked me to be his date." She felt a flush spread over her cheekbones.
"Was he good-looking?" Amelia asked at the same time Celia murmured, "Did you have a good time?" The sisters turned and looked at one another after the questions had left their mouths. Celia ducked her head, suddenly intent on studying the floorboards. Amelia just returned her attention to her foster mother, her brown eyes taking in every twitch of movement on Artemis's face.
"Yes, he was very good-looking," Artemis answered with a sigh, "And, yes, we had a good time—a very good time. Now, can we please get some shopping done?"