Ch.14 Horrible holidays
Harry was actually looking forward to meeting Renee's family, Camron always said nice things about them, odd but nice things.
It was Christmas eve already and Renee said that if any one Harry's friends wanted to come over for the holiday's they could, so he invited Remus and Tonks, now that they were relieved of Lucius, Lucius was off of parole now. So it was Harry, Severus, Tonks and Remus who were going to meet the rest of the Gauner family, Laina, Camron and Emilio were the first to arrive.
"Happy christmas!" Cam shouted as she greeted everyone, Dart ran up to her, barking and running circles, nearly tripping the young teen. "Oh, wow...you have guests..." Laina seemed to force enthusiasm, this went unnoticed by Renee as she laughed "Yeah, wanted everyone else to meet Severus, and Remus and Tonks had nowhere special to go so I said 'Hey, you guys are close enough to be family as well, come on over!', so here we all are". Laina laughd nervously and nodded, Emilio eyed his wife curiously but shrugged it off and started up confusing conversations with everyone else.
Another knock on the door and in walked a tall, young man with long brown hair, tied loosely, wearing a pair of tan pants and a cream colored sweater.
"Jeremy!" Laina and Renee hugged him and introduced him as their brother, Camron ran out and hugged him "Uncle Jeremy! What, no dress?" she teased. Jeremy rolled his light brown eyes and placed a hand on his hip "It's at the cleaners..." was his obviously sarcastic remark, but Severus, Remus and Harry shifted uncomfortabley, none the less.
Last but not least were Mr. and Mrs.Gauner, Dan and Erica, they seemed most enthusiastic to meet everyone, especially Mrs.Gauner "I thought my little bubele, Renee would never meet a nice man!" she hugged Severus tightly.
Dan Gauner had shaggy, dark brown hair and dark brown eyes, and was, as Renee had mentioned before, wearing a pair of Birkenstock sandels, even though it was snowing outside.
Erica Gauner had long, wavey, light brown hair and light brown eyes and hardly anyone could even guess what she was saying most of the time since she kept using odd words no one had ever heard before.
After a while of everyone chatting and getting to know each other, Jeremy pulled Laina aside and whispered something in her ear, Laina whispered back. Jeremy went wide eyed and covered his mouth, his eyes darting around to everyone in the room then settling on his parents and Renee.
Both siblings started to make their way towards their parents when Renee announced "Dinner time! I made the entire meal, just like grandma and grandpa used to have...no poison, this time" she teasingly winked.
Everyone took their seats around the two tables that Renee set together, Harry helped her find the extra table and drag it into the kitchen just for tonight.
Dinner was lovely, a large spread of differents foods, Harry swore he was back at Hogwarts with the feast Renee cooked up. After a bit more of conversing and eating, Dan stood up and tapped his glass, catching everyones attention, Laina and Jeremy looked quite nervous. "I have an announcement to make...it is something that needs to be said, needed to be said a long time ago..." Mr.Gauner started.
Jeremy quickly stood up "Oh, did I mention that we saved that little girl who need a heart transplant? Found a doner just in time!" he babbled out. "Jeremy! Don't interrupt your father!" Erica called out, making the young man sit back down and look at Laina desperately.
Mr.Gauner cleared his throat and started again "As I was saying...Renee, you need to know this...you're-", "Oh my gawd!" Laina jumped up, her outburst caused everyone to jump as well.
"Laina, are you ok?" Renee laughed, Laina gulped and shook her head "No...", Emilio gentley touched his wife's arm "Laina, what's wrong?". Laina stood there for a few seconds before sighing in defeat "Nothing...I was thinking I left the iron on...", Emilio raised an eyebrow "But...you ironed yesterday...". "I know...I thought it was today...silly me..." she slumped in her seat, everyone was eyeing her oddly before turning their attention back to Mr.Gauner. Renee gave her brother and sister a quick glance before shrugging and looking at her father "You wanted to tell me something, dad?", Laina and Jeremy looked at each other with dread as they heard their father continue.
"Yes, like I said, this needed to be told to you a long time ago...Renee..." Dan took in a deep breath before saying "You're not really our daughter, Renee".
Renee stared at him and blinked before laughing slightly "Huh?" was all she could say, Mrs.Gauner nodded "It's true, our Renee died about seventeen years ago". Renee looked calm but she was quietly hyperventilating, Mr. and Mrs.Gauner decided to explain, since everyone in the room looked to be in shock, except Laina and Jeremy.
"You see, when Laina was about five, Renee was four, Jeremy was two, we moved to the U.S. and lived there until when Renee was about sixteen and died in a car crash..." Erica looked around at everyone as she spoke.
"Yes, and then we moved back here, where I got my job back at the coast guard..." Dan shrugged, "Well, anyways, one night when we were picking Dan up from work, it was as if God himself was giving us another chance with Renee!" Erica sighed dreamily.
Dan nodded "We were driving when, as if from the heavens above, you landed onto our car...we thought you might've died but there was a pulse! You were like an angel...". "You were in a coma for three whole months, not once did anyone come to identify or claim you...and you looked so much like our late daughter that..." Mrs.Gauner trailed off.
Renee was in full blown panic attack now, Severus was rubbing small circles on her back trying to calm her, Harry looked over to see Camron having the same reaction. Emilio looked at his wife, who was trying to bury her face in her arms on the table, Jeremy as well as their parents continued.
"...we decided to take you in as our own...as our Renee..." Mr.Gauner finished for his wife, Renee snapped her head up to look at them "And you thought right now was the time to tell me?".
Both senior Gauner's looked at each other before nodding at her "Yes...would you have prefered us never to tell you?" they asked.
Renee's eye twitched, she was mad, no, more like furious "You thought...that after nearly twenty years of me living with you people as your dead daughter, that chrismas eve, in front of all these people, would be the right time to tell me this?".
They opened their mouths to respond but couldn't find words, Renee turned to Laina and Jeremy "And you two knew this and never told me?" she looked at her 'family' "What is wrong with you people?".
Dart started barking up a storm at her booming voice, Camron was shaking now, mumbling "Aunt Renee isn't...aunt Renee?", Severus and Harry looked at each other helplessly. Tonks and Remus, though, found something interesting about this turn of events and hid their nervousness over Renee's outburst very well.
It was a few quiet seconds, aside from Darts barking, when Renee finally snapped, she whipped out of her chair and shouted "SHUT UP! SHUT THE FUCK UP!" this was yelled mainly at Dart, who tucked his tail between his legs and crawled out of the room.
"I can't believe what I'm hearing! What if my real family has been out there looking for me? Did you ever think of that?" She gasped.
"Three whole months, no one came for you...it was all over every news channel...not many people fall from the sky and live, y'know" Dan chuckled slight but stopped at the glare from Renee.
Renee's temper seemed to be losing fuel as she clutched at the table and held a hand to her chest, Severus got up to help steady her.
Laina frowned and choked out "We've wanted to tell you for so long...we knew what we did was wrong...even though it seemed right...".
Renee shook her head "No...I'm not mad that you took me in...I'm actually quite grateful..." she took a few more deep breaths and let Severus sit her back in her seat. "I'm mad that you waited so long...and now, to tell me this!" she grit out, the room was quiet, Dart crawled back into the room and rest his head on Renee's lap. Renee idley scratched behinds his ears and mumbled a "Sorry" to him then looked back up, Emilio was trying to calm Camron down still.
"If you're not aunt Renee, who are you?", Renee stared at her 'niece' numbly then shrugged "I dunno...I can still be Renee, since I have no idea who I could be...".
Mr. and Mrs.Gauner stood up, walked over and hugged Renee "We really should've told you sooner...and not with such an audience around...we're sorry, dear". Renee hugged them back but remained quiet, Jeremy stood up and nodded to everyone, giving Renee a hug as well "So sorry it happened like this..." he and his parents left.
Camron looked at her father "I wanna go home...", Emilio looked at Laina who waved them to leave "I need to talk to Renee..." she said.
Tonks and Remus stood up "We should really get going. It was nice of you to invite us over...", "I'm so sorry you had to whitness this" Renee sighed. "Think nothing of it, it was not your fault this happened tonight and we think no differently about you" Remus smiled, Renee smiled back "Thank you".
Harry led Severus to his room so Laina and Renee could have some privacy, Dart followed after them, still slightly nervous about Renee's outburst before.
Laina stood there for a moment before wrapping her arms around her 'sister' "I didn't think they'd go through with it tonight since you had guests over...I didn't even get around to telling Emilio and Camron about it".
"Why did you guys wait so long?" Renee sniffled, crying now, Laina moved the youngers womans hair out of her face and sighed "I don't know...I guess we were afraid to loose Renee again".
Renee nodded in understanding "I'm really not mad that I was taken in...you've all been really great to me...it's just...this is a little overwhelming...especially now". "Only a little?" Laina laughed, earning a small chuckle from Renee, "I'd say this is very overwhelming!".
"I can still be Renee...I mean, I've been Renee for about fifteen, twenty years right?" Renee wiped her eyes and laughed, Laina nodded "Yeah...yeah, you can...". Renee took a few deep breaths to calm herself then hugged Laina tightly once more "Please explain to Camron, I'm still her aunt Renee", Laina smiled and nodded "Alright...if it's what you want".
Severus and Harry came out of the room after hearing Laina leave, Renee was standing by the door looking helpless as she turned to them "Happy fucking christmas, huh?" she laughed lightly.
Harry bit his lip but smiled "I'm sorry...I don't know what that was all about exactly, but...", Renee shook her head "I say...we all just forget that mess happened...". Harry nodded then ran into the kitchen to stop Dart from eating the food on the table, Renee slowly walked up to Severus and wrapped her arms around him.
"Please don't leave..." she murmured, Severus smiled and wrapped his arms around her "What, just because you have an odd family?". Renee looked up and smiled, understanding the joke and the fact that he seriously didn't let tonight's events bother their relationship, "Thank you" she whispered and kissed him softly. Severus smiled at "You know...they did say that they thought you were an angel sent from above...", Renee raised an eyebrow at him, "I think I would have to agree with them..." he kissed her once more before leading her into the kitchen to help Harry catch Dart.
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Remus and Tonks paced their living room, "They said this was about sixteen or seventeen years ago, right?" Tonks asked, Remus nodded "And she fell onto their car...".
Tonks beamed at her boyfriend "And Mr.Gauner works at the coast guard...", "Which is usually very close to cliffs..." Remus grinned.
They set off to find Lucius, see what information he'd uncovered, and to also contact Arthur Weasly, since he too was interested in this reopened case of the missing Cecelia Potter.
"Think we should tell Severus yet?" Tonks asked, Remus shook his head "Not yet, not until we know for sure if Renee is Cecelia or not. Wouldn't want to get his hopes up", "Or ruin his relationship with Renee!" Tonks nodded.
Could she really be the missing Cecelia Potter? Wow, seems like, yet again, everyone is in on something excapt Snape...and Harry, this time...anywho! Did ya like it? Sorry I didn't get the dramatics just right for the dinner scene but...these people have been her family for as long as she can remember...seriously! Well, please review!
