* ~ The Eighth Year Universe Series ~ *
Love Wins
Follow Your Arrow
Okay, so just a few things before we dive into this next chapter!
Our beloved gang is now all parents to teenagers/young adults in this segment, so they are exasperated, exhausted folks in their early 40s. At times, if Theo seems older, that's because physically, he is. I've gone with the theory that your life and magic are tied together, so what Lucia did to Theo's magic in Blame it on Hate has aged him.
Another thing about this segment is that there will be more perspective changes. So it won't all be from Harry, Daphne etc perspectives, but there will also be some scenes from the kids' perspectives so we can see more about their life/their time at Hogwarts.
Obviously, we have done a huge time jump here – 15 years into the future – so the important things that happened 'off-screen' – Lacey's wedding, for example – are included in the previous section, 'Little Moments'.
SEX SCENES as always will be in their own chapters and clearly marked with any relevant warnings so that those who wish to skip them can. But, a WORD TO THE WISE - If you thought they were too graphic/gay in Blame it on Hate, you're going to hate the ones in this section.
*** - GENERAL WARNINGS FOR THIS STORY - ***
Rated M for sexual content, language, also violence.
Warnings/triggers:
Foursome relationships [including sex scenes], gay sex/anal sex, polyamory, genderfluid character, gay characters, lesbian characters, oral sex, lesbian sex, cheating (but in a side pairing, not the main pairing), threesome, implied/referenced underage sex.
ABBREVIATIONS to be aware of:
ICW: International Confederation of Wizards
CG: Cursebreakers Guild
May 2021
St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies
London
When Teddy Potter jogged into the hospital room, his heart was pounding.
"Thea! Are you okay?"
His baby sister, Thea, shrugged and said, "I'm fine."
Teddy blew out a breath and stepped into the room, "You sent me an SOS Patronus!"
"It was an SOS! I broke my leg!" Thea exclaimed. She was lying in a hospital bed, her platinum blonde hair pulled into a hasty bun and her face clear of make-up or glamour charms which was unusual in itself.
He loved his sister, but she was vain. There was no denying that.
Teddy crossed his arms and gave her a stern look – it was easier to be stern when he looked like his 'Auror-self'. When he started in the department, his mother had suggested that the tattoos were okay, but the bubblegum blue hair was a step too far for the humdrum of the DMLE.
Teddy looked every inch the son of Harry and Daphne Potter when he was at work – he had messy black hair and dark blue eyes. The hint of rebellion came in the flash of tattoos below his sleeves and the earing in his left ear.
"Why aren't you at school?" Teddy asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes at her, "And how did you get away from school?"
"Zach apparated us out," Thea said with a mischievous smirk, "He's 17. He's got his license."
"He's also a sleazy inbred piece of shit," Teddy pointed out, "And you are 15. If you are sleeping with him-"
Thea rolled her eyes, "Relax, Tedward, I'm not sleeping with him, or anyone for that matter."
"So you're using him," Teddy said sarcastically, "Yeah, with your reputation, that checks out."
Thea rolled her eyes, "Would you just sign the form so I can get out of here, please?"
"No," Teddy replied, raising an eyebrow at his sister, "Why am I your emergency contact anyway? Shouldn't it be Mum or Dad?"
"I suppose technically speaking, it should be," Thea confessed, her blue eyes looking sheepish for the first time, "But I'd rather it was you. The last thing I want to do is wake up in prison and have Mum and Dad finding out."
"Thea, Dad would find out if you were arrested," Teddy said in disbelief, "He's the Head Auror."
Thea shrugged, "That doesn't mean he knows everything."
"No, that's exactly what it means," Teddy muttered, picking up the release form.
"So, will you sign it and take me back to Hogwarts?"
"Nope," Teddy said dryly, "I'll sign it and take you back to the Manor."
"What?" Thea objected, "Oh come on, Teddy, I'm your favourite sister!"
"You think you win over Andie?" Teddy snorted, "Andie actually remembers my birthday every year."
"She's also a stuck up little prude," Thea muttered.
"She's a Ravenclaw; there's a difference," Teddy said, signing the form and sticking it into the box next to Thea's bed.
Thea looked up at him, and for once, she looked as vulnerable as a 15-year-old should look.
"Are you really going to take me back to the manor?"
"Yeah, I really am," Teddy said, holding out his hand.
Thea took it and stood up gingerly, muttering under her breath, "Ugh, so much for Hufflepuff loyalty. I knew I should have put Al down!"
"Al with his Gryffindor integrity? Come on, Thea, if you wanted to not get caught, you should have put Aunt Lilly down as your emergency contact," Teddy remarked.
"Damnit, why didn't I think of that?"
"I don't know," A new voice said as the door opened, "Because if you had put me down, I would have given you a grilling as good as your mother could, but I wouldn't have sent you back to face her wrath."
Thea looked up hopefully, "Aunt Lilly, you are looking amazing today-"
Lilly bit back an amused smile – she looked much the same, with a few more age lines and bags underneath her eyes. Having three kids in the same Hogwarts year would do that to a person, though. Her dark auburn hair was swept up into a neat bun, and her eyes were surveying Thea with amusement.
"Save it, Thea."
Lilly shut the door and leaned against it, "How did you break your leg?"
"Zach and I snuck out of school to go to the Winged Snitches concert, and I dived into a moshpit," Thea admitted sheepishly.
Lilly rolled her eyes, "Novice. Everyone knows that you should put a precautionary shield charm up before diving into a moshpit."
Teddy crossed his arms and grinned. He loved his Aunt Lilly; she was by far the coolest person in their family.
Thea snorted, "How do you know that?"
"Misspent Youth," Lilly said, smirking at her godchildren, "I was cool before I married your Uncle Nev."
"You're still cool," Thea said, "So cool that you will take me back to school, right?"
Lilly raised an eyebrow, "If you think I'll fall for your sneaky little Slytherin tricks, then you are sorely mistaken, Theodora. My best friend is a Slytherin, I know every trick in the book, and you learned all of yours from her."
Thea's face fell, "Please, Aunt Lilly. She'll ground me for the entire summer. She confined me to the east wing for two weeks the last time Andie threw me under the bus."
Lilly surveyed Thea, "I hate to break it to you, Thea, but Andie's best friend found you in a broom closet with her boyfriend."
"Snogging your sister's boyfriend," Teddy agreed with a nod, "Way below the belt."
"Andie should have cursed you, not grassed you in," Lilly said, giving Thea a pointed look.
Thea looked a little guilty, "Okay, so maybe that was a little petty of me."
Teddy and Lilly both gave her the same look.
Thea sighed, "Fine. It was below the belt. I shouldn't have done it."
"I think Andrea needs to hear that apology," Lilly said sagely, "But onto more recent crimes against humanity. Zach Smith? That's who you're hanging around with?"
"Teddy's already given me the don't sleep with him because he's an inbred slimeball spiel," Thea said offhandedly.
Lilly nodded and looked at Thea seriously, "I know you're young, and right now, you think you're messing around, playing the field or whatever. But when you start having sex with people, the stakes are higher, and it doesn't matter how careful you are."
"I know, Aunt Lil."
"Just hear me out," Lilly said sternly, "All it takes is one mistake and then you could be freaking out your pregnant with some slimeballs kids. And then that slimeball marries your mother and becomes your step-father."
Thea frowned. "That was…oddly specific."
"Oh yeah," Lilly said airily, "Because it happened."
"Wait," Teddy cut in, "So Michael…your Step-Dad?"
Lilly nodded.
Thea's eyes widened, "Wow…that is a total mindfuck."
"Thea! Language!" Lilly scolded.
"Sorry," Thea said sheepishly, "But….wow."
Teddy shook his head, "I gotta go, Aunt Lil. I need to talk to Mina's Pops today about…the thing."
Lilly smiled and patted Teddy on the shoulder, "Good luck, Ted."
Teddy smiled nervously and left the room.
"I don't get why he's so nervous. Theo is chill," Thea said with a shrug, "Even when he was Headmaster, he wasn't too tough."
"Maybe that's your problem, Snowflake," Lilly said, crossing her arms and looking at Thea.
"What?" Thea snorted.
"Nobody has ever been hard enough on you. I told your mother that when you were young, some kids need discipline after all," Lilly shook her head, "But no, she was convinced that you were just of strong character."
Thea grinned, "I am of strong character."
"You're also getting yourself a reputation, and you're only 15," Lilly pointed out, "Girls who get reputations like that aren't respected by boys. When I was at school, I had a friend who eventually calmed down and struggled to find something real because of her reputation."
Thea made a face, "You're not talking about Mum, are you?"
"No," Lilly said honestly, "Because your mother's reputation was completely false. Your dad saw straight through that, he had known her for five minutes, and he knew who she really was. So I don't know what all of this is, Thea, if it's because you crave attention, even if it's the bad sort."
Thea frowned.
"But I don't think it is," Lilly admitted, "I think it's a cry for help. I just wish I knew what you were struggling with."
Thea sighed and looked down at the ground, "Being the youngest."
Realisation shone in Lilly's eyes, and she nodded. She sat down on the edge of the hospital bed and motioned for Thea to do the same.
"Teddy left school and followed in Dad's footsteps," Thea said quietly, "Everyone talked about how he would be a great Auror just like Dad. Andrea is so smart, and everyone knows she's going to do great things when she leaves school, and Alastor wants to explore the world. I just know he'll write a book or something while he's at it, and then there's me. I have no idea what I want to be, and I'm average in class. I'm not great at anything."
"Hey," Lilly said, grabbing Thea's hand, "I had no idea what I wanted to do until my final year at school. If it hadn't been for the fact a war broke out and students were being tortured by their professors, I don't know when I would have worked out that I wanted to be a Healer."
Thea frowned.
"And your Uncle Nev, he only decided to be an Auror after fighting in the war. Your dad, when he first got asked what he wanted to do back in fourth year, he had no idea," Lilly said, cocking her head at Thea, "Of the four of us, your Mum was the only one who had it worked out before her 13th birthday."
Thea chuckled, "That figures."
Lilly smiled slightly, "Life is hard and complicated. Not everybody leaves school and knows what they want to do. Some people start something then realise it's wrong for them, and others find their calling later in life like Sadie did. It's okay not to know where you want to go next, Thea; you are only 15. It's okay to enjoy school life and spend time with your friends but please, just spend time with your friends."
Thea swallowed and looked down.
"I know you're a sensible girl, and I also know you are capable," Lilly said softly, "But 17-year-old boys can be stupid and hormonal. All it takes is for one of them to get the wrong idea and overpower you and…."
She shook her head, "I don't even want to think about that. Okay?"
"Okay," Thea said, looking up tearfully, "I'm sorry, Aunt Lil."
Lilly put an arm around her, "It's alright. We all rebel at some point in our youth, Thea. The trick is being mature enough to move past it."
Thea bit her lip, "I don't have many friends in my own year. Lots of people pretend to like me, but they don't really."
"Maybe because they don't really know who you are," Lilly said wisely, "Stop trying to be this popular girl and just be yourself. Be the girl who is obsessed with anything aquatic, who spends her entire summer in the lake. Be the girl who can keep up with her brothers on the Quidditch pitch and get to the snitch before them. Then maybe they'll love you as much as Cas does."
That brought a smile to Thea's face – Caspian Black was her best friend.
"Okay," She said, nodding and wiping her eyes on the sleeve of her cardigan, "Thanks, Aunt Lil. Please take me back to school before anyone notices I'm gone."
"As long as you promise to take my advice on board," Lilly said, cocking her head at Thea, "And ditch Zach Smith."
Theo nodded, "Done," she promised.
"Guess who I found in St Mungo's today?"
Daphne looked up from the report she was reading at the kitchen table. Like Lilly, she hadn't changed much, her blonde hair was going a little more white with time, but it just made her look all the more ethereal. Her blue eyes were still as vibrant and sharp as ever, though.
"Who?"
"Your daughter," Lilly replied, taking two wine glasses from the cupboard.
"I don't even need to ask which one," Daphne said dryly as Lilly poured the wine, "Is she okay?"
"She's fine, she had a broken leg which needed patching up, but she's back at school now," Lilly replied.
"Are you sure about that?" Daphne asked, looking at Lilly sceptically.
"I took her there myself," Lilly replied, sitting down opposite Daphne.
Daphne sighed, "How did she do it?"
"She snuck out of school with Zach Smith to go to a Winged Snitches concert and dived into a moshpit," Lilly said with a roll of her eyes, "I told her to ditch Zach Smith."
"I told her to ditch the last two 7th years," Daphne said dryly, "But she doesn't listen to me, Lilly. Especially after that grounding I gave her for stealing Andie's boyfriend. I think I might have been too harsh."
Lilly shook her head, "I don't think you were harsh enough."
Daphne gave her an irritated look, "I'm not in the mood for one of your rants about my 'soft' parenting technique."
"That's not what this is," Lilly promised, "I had a frank chat with her, Daphne. She isn't having sex with anyone, which is good. And I think I finally got to the bottom of this whole thing. I called her out on why she was acting out like this, and we talked about it."
Daphne frowned, "So why? Because she hasn't had a traumatic childhood. We have been nothing but good to her."
Lilly raised a hand, "I know. She has an inferiority complex. She can't stop comparing herself to her siblings, and she wonders how she is ever going to live up to the family legacy."
Daphne sighed and shook her head, "How can she think that, Lilly?"
"Because you may not see it, but it's a hell of a family legacy," Lilly said, cocking her head at her best friend, "When your dad is Harry Potter, the saviour of the wizarding world, the youngest and longest-serving Head Auror ever. And your Mum is Daphne Greengrass, one half of the best curse-breaking team in Britain who runs her own business like a pro and is always in the papers. I mean, come on, that's a lot."
Daphne sighed, "We don't expect her to live up to some great legacy. All we want is for her to get her shit together and do something."
"And she will," Lilly promised, "She just doesn't know what that something is yet. She might look like you, but there's a lot of Harry in her too, you know."
Daphne tapped her fingers against the table, and Lilly said, "I think what I said to her today finally went in, Daphne, so with any luck, maybe she will get her shit together."
"I highly doubt that," Daphne said bitterly.
Lilly shrugged, "We can't pretend we haven't been preoccupied lately. Between our new trainees at work and helping the Black-Notts deal with an insanely stressed wannabe Minister for Magic Hermione."
Daphne nodded and looked back down at the parchment in front of her.
"You working on a tough case?" Lilly asked.
Daphne shook her head, "No, just reading up on something. The Cursebreakers Guild sent this out to every registered curse-breaking business in Europe."
She waved the thick wad of parchment sheets absentmindedly.
Lilly frowned, "They only did that once before, didn't they? When they uncovered a new type of curse in Egypt."
Daphne nodded and flipped a page, "Uh-huh. This time it's a warning because of what The Statute Saboteurs are doing in Europe."
Lilly frowned, "It's getting serious then if the Cursebreakers Guild is sending out warnings."
"Yeah," Daphne sighed, looking up at Lilly, "It got serious when they gave themselves a name and started stamping their symbol everywhere though, didn't it?"
Lilly's eyes darkened, but she nodded.
"The CG is getting involved because of the cursed objects the Statute Saboteurs are using as part of their mission to reveal the presence of magical life and thus break the International Statute of Secrecy."
Lilly raised an eyebrow, "That sounded very official. Did you-"
"Yes, I just quoted the document I've spent the last hour reading," Daphne cut in, rubbing her eyes and sighing, "We've been warned to be on the lookout for a rise in the frequency of cursed objects being used against Muggles."
Lilly nodded and sipped her wine thoughtfully, "You are right about them becoming more of a threat when the papers gave them a name. You know, it's why the Aurors work so hard to keep things like this out of the press. For example, when you give someone a name, like the Decapitator, everyone fears them more. But between that and the symbol they stamp on every wall…."
Lilly sighed, "It's starting to feel a little like…."
"Like Lucia?" Daphne finished, "I know."
"I know that Harry's getting more and more concerned about it," Lilly confessed.
"I think everyone is," Daphne said, closing the document and sipping her wine, "Nobody more than Hermione. If she is elected, she's going to have a hell of a first year in office."
"Well, she always did like a challenge," Lilly said, shrugging and looking her best friend in the eye, "How long till the ICW beg the British DMLE for help?"
Daphne swallowed and tapped the edge of the table anxiously, "Not long."
When Teddy walked into Blacknot Castle (a place he had been several times throughout his life for parties, Christmases and playdates), he felt so nervous he thought he might be sick.
But he swallowed it down and headed up to the drawing-room. Sadie was sitting in an armchair by the fire, going over something in a notebook that seemed to be in a secret language. That wasn't exactly surprising; she was an Unspeakable after all.
Sadie's hair was shorter than it used to be – it sat in a neat, lightly curled professional bob now. But other than that and the obvious signs of age, she hadn't changed much.
"Uh, good afternoon, Sadie," Teddy said, internally cursing himself. So formal, what the hell Teddy?!
Sadie looked up and smiled, "Oh, hi, Teddy. Almina is out-"
"Oh, I know," Teddy said quickly, "It's uh…well, I kind of need to speak to Theo, actually. Is he…is he…around?"
Sadie frowned, "Yes, he and Draco are in the study upstairs."
Teddy's face fell. Great, I don't just have to ask one dad for permission; I have to ask both.
"Is everything okay, Teddy?" Sadie asked softly, "You seem a little stressed."
Teddy swallowed and pasted on a smile, "Fine, yep," he said, backing out of the room and nearly knocking over an urn as he did.
"Oh, shit, sorry, Septimus," He said to the urn with Sadie's father's ashes in it.
Sadie bit her lip and watched in amusement as Teddy headed for the grand staircase.
"I think he's going to ask Theo's permission to propose."
Hermione was in the study attached to the drawing-room, and she snorted, "You think so?"
Sadie chuckled and looked back down at her notebook, "Oh, I hope Theo and Draco don't give him too much of a hard time."
"Theo won't," Hermione's voice returned, "Draco might…."
Teddy's heart was racing when he knocked on the study's door.
"Come in!" Theo's voice called.
Teddy stepped inside and glanced around the relatively small room – Draco was sitting in the bay window seat, his legs stretched out in front of him and some newspaper clippings on his lap. Teddy supposed he was researching something to do with the campaign – Hermione was running for Minister for Magic, after all.
The blonde man looked much the same, a few flecks of grey in his hair and some ageing in his face, but he was more regally handsome for it and, worryingly, a little more like his father – which was something that nobody reminded him of because they knew they would be cursed if they did.
Theo, on the other hand, seemed to have aged more than any of the others. He was sitting by his desk, and from his posture, he always looked exhausted. There were a few more age lines on his face and much more grey in his hair. Still, he retained his happy character, despite the several visits to St Mungo's he paid a year. Every flu, every stomach bug, took him down for at least a week.
"Afternoon, Teddy," Theo said politely.
Draco looked up, "Hey, Teddy."
"Hey, guys," Teddy said awkwardly, "I…uh, well, I came here to ask you something."
"Which one of us?" Draco drawled.
"Well, initially, I thought probably just Theo," Teddy said, hoping he wasn't digging a hole, "But then I thought, maybe both of you?"
Theo leant back in his chair, and Draco raised an eyebrow.
Teddy cleared his throat, "Well, the thing is, I…I am…uh completely in love…with your daughter."
Theo already knew where this was going, but Draco's eyes widened slightly when he clocked on.
"I know you are," Theo said with a smile, "I mean, how could you not be? She looks like her mother, and she's got my sparkling charm and wit. That's got to make her a keeper, surely."
Draco smiled too, "She's kind and smart. You would be stupid not to love her."
Theo nodded and looked Teddy in the eye, "I suppose what we're saying is someone like Almina, she's a rare gem, and a girl like that deserves respect."
Teddy nodded vigorously, "Of course she does. I have never disrespected her. She is brilliantly smart and so kind, she uses everything she has to help people, and she is so compassionate and her empathy…."
He cleared his throat, "She's the most beautiful person I've ever met, inside and out."
Theo smiled slightly and leaned forward, "Ted, there's no need to be so nervous. I've known you since you were a baby. Hell, I changed your nappies when I was still in school myself. You and Mina love each other. You think I'm gonna stand in the way of that?"
Teddy blew out a sigh of relief, "Thank Merlin. I thought you'd say I wasn't good enough to marry her."
"Well, I don't think you're good enough to marry her," Draco drawled, "You're a Potter."
Theo flicked his wand in Draco's direction, hitting him with a stinging charm, "Draco, behave."
Draco cursed and shook his hand where the spell had hit it, "You got out of St Mungo's this morning after one of your episodes. You are not supposed to use magic."
Theo smirked at him, "Don't be a dick then."
Teddy chuckled at the exchange between the two men, "So…I can marry her?"
"Of course you can marry her," Draco said, shooting Teddy a small smile, "She's been in love with you since she was 18, and you dote on her."
Teddy grinned, "Thanks, Uncle Draco."
Draco rolled his eyes, "Don't you 'Uncle Draco' me," he muttered.
It was a common joke that Theo and Sadie were just Theo and Sadie, but Draco got 'Uncle Draco' from the Potter children. Part of this was because Hermione was still one of Harry's best friends and had always been 'Aunt Hermione'. The other reason was that Draco had been Harry's Auror partner for a long time, and because of that, they were incredibly close these days.
Theo chuckled and spoke more seriously to Teddy, "Can't imagine who I'd rather have as a son in law, to be honest.
Teddy grinned broadly, "Thank you. Thanks so much!"
He barrelled out of the room, down the stairs, and a loud crash followed.
"TEDDY!"
"Sorry, sorry! Shit, sorry."
"That will be Septimus's ashes again," Draco snorted, "Think we should move that urn?"
"Nah, I think this is the afterlife he deserves, to be honest," Theo said dryly.
Draco looked down, "You still bitter about that?"
"Bitter that he got out of jail, met all of his grandkids and then killed himself when Sadie said she didn't want him in our lives?" Theo asked, his eyes dark as he looked up at Draco, "Yep, probably always gonna be bitter about that."
"I know it hurt Sadie, and I hated him for it too," Draco confessed, "But he has been dead 13 years now, Theo. It might be time to move the ashes somewhere they don't get kicked over every week."
"Hey, it wasn't my decision," Theo said, leaning back with a smirk, "I wanted to go and sprinkle his ashes on a Muggle landfill site, but that was Sadie's idea."
Draco snorted and was about to comment on how Theo never could go against what Sadie wanted. But before he could, Theo changed the subject.
"So what do the opinion polls say? Is our girl gonna be Minister for Magic this time next week?"
Draco looked over at him and smiled, "If these polls are anything to go on, she's going to win by a landslide."
Theo grinned, "The princess is gonna become the queen."
Draco just chuckled in response.
Are you sure you're ready for this?"
Noah Wood raised an eyebrow, "I'm just meeting your family, right? Not being put through the fires of mount doom to prove my worth?"
Elladora Black laughed nervously, "Clearly, you don't know my parents."
They were sitting by the Black Lake, their legs dangling into the water. It was past curfew, but as Head Boy and Girl, there were certain privileges.
Noah, who looked the spitting image of his father (Oliver Wood), laughed. He looked over at her, kind hazel eyes which were watching him fondly.
He pushed his dark hair out of his face and said, "Ella, it will be fine. I can handle your parents."
Ella wasn't quite so sure of that.
"All four of them?" She quipped, raising an eyebrow. Elladora Black looked like her mother. She knew that because every single person she met commented on it.
"Oh, you're so much like your mother!" They would gush, "Apart from your eyes, you have-"
"My father's eyes," Ella would finish because she knew that. It was what everyone said. Her skin was a dark olive complexion, the same as her mother's. Her curly brown hair had a hint of blonde in it, which came from her father, but her eyes were entirely his. They were bright blue, and against her darker skin and hair, that made her stand out.
Not that she enjoyed standing out. She was a high achiever, and she cared more about her grades than how people perceived her from her looks. Still, enough people called her pretty that she believed it. Her mother often commented that she had gotten her aristocratic looks from her father's side of the family, and her father would ruffle her messy hair and smile, "I'm glad you got your Mum's hair though, Ella," he always said.
"I'm serious, Noah," Ella said. She took her hand out of his to brush her hair out of the way as a gentle wind picked up around them, "I can't wait to show you the castle. It's where I grew up, and I have so many happy memories there, but I won't lie, my family are intimidating when you first meet them because there are so many of them."
Noah smiled, "Alright, if it puts your mind at ease, give me the lowdown or some tips to please the Black-Notts."
Ella smiled, some of the snobbier people in their year had called her a Black-Nott like it was an insult back in first year, but Ella had just shrugged and said, "It's my family name, so what?"
Legally, it wasn't. She was Elladora Black, but they were the Black-Notts, and they had been for as long as she could remember.
"Okay," Ella said, taking a breath, "So when you first stay over, we'll probably have to sleep in separate bedrooms, and my dad will definitely put wards on the doors to make sure we stay in separate bedrooms."
"Since your dad is the Head of the DMLE, I would never dream of trying that," Noah said, shooting her a grin.
Ella chuckled, "My mum falls in love so much faster than I do, so if she likes you, she'll totally nag me to be good to you and not mess it up," she rolled her eyes, "God, you should have seen her when Mina brought Teddy home."
"Mina's your big sister, right?" Noah asked, "She was Head Girl when we were in fourth year."
"Yeah," Ella nodded, "There's Charlie; he's my big brother, but he's an idiot, so just ignore anything he says to you. And you know Cas, right?"
"Yep, your annoying little Slytherin brother," Noah said, grinning at his girlfriend, "Are we just not mentioning the Wonder Twins?"
Ella rolled her eyes, "You know what Ada and Dora are like. I think you're prepared for them."
"Exactly, so what's so intimidating?" Noah asked, giving her an encouraging smile.
"The fact I have two mums and two dads?" Ella said, shooting him a sceptical look.
Noah brushed the comment off, "I'm a Gryffindor, Ella. I can handle your parents, all four of them."
"If you say so," Ella said melodically, "Just so you know, when I'm at school, I refer to them as Sadie and Theo because people find it weird otherwise, but at home, I call them Mama and Pops, there is a reason for that, a weird one but still," she shrugged.
Noah smiled, "What's the reason?"
"When I was little, it was confusing because we all lived together. Obviously, we still do, but it was hard to wrap my head around as a toddler, so I sometimes called Sadie Mum by mistake, and nobody minded. But then there were times when I said Mum, and they both answered, so they ended up being Mum and Mama."
"And your Pops?"
Ella smiled slightly, "He's always been kind of sick, ever since I was a kid. He was kidnapped for a while when I was really young, but he doesn't talk about what happened to him. But either way, he kind of acts like an old man sometimes, so when he and Dad had to decide who got 'Dad' and who got 'Pops', that's how it was decided."
Noah smiled, "Well, they all sound pretty cool to me."
"They'll pretend they don't like you, even if they do," Ella warned him, "My Dad and my Pops, that is. Oh, and Mina, she will ask you a million questions. She'll do anything she can to trip you up. She's sneaky like that."
Noah leant across to kiss her, "I can't wait," he promised, his lips brushing against hers.
Ella smiled and returned the kiss. When they broke apart, Ella added, "Also, my Mum is highly strung at the best of times, but you're going to be meeting her when she's just won or lost the election, so-"
"Ella!" Noah interrupted, laughing despite his exasperation, "It will be fine. I love you, so I'll learn to love them."
Ella grinned broadly, "I love you too, Noah."
- TBC -
