Tuesday, December 23rd 1997
"There we go. All done," Nina said as she finished putting the elastic around the end of Lucy's braid.
"Thank you," Lucy said, standing up from the floor and pulling the braid over her shoulder. She turned around so that she was facing Nina who was sitting on Lucy's bed.
"No problem," Nina said with a smile. "So, are you all packed and ready to go?"
"I think so," she replied. She looked at the suitcase and backpack sitting by the door to her bedroom and back at Nina. "Nina, we're going to see my grandmother and my aunts and uncles and cousins."
"Yes, we are," Nina said with a small nod.
"I haven't seen them in two years," Lucy said.
"I know," Nina said with a sigh. "It'll be nice though, won't it? You've missed them over the last two years haven't you?"
"Yeah, I guess," Lucy said a little uncertainly. She leaned forward against Nina's legs and sighed. "I don't know... I just... I'm worried. I know that she said that they didn't see us because she asked them not too but... but they didn't have to listen to her. What - what if the real reason is that they don't like me anymore and they were trying to get away from me?!"
"Lucy," Nina said softly, putting a hand on her cheek and giving her a small smile. "That is not the reason. I know it's not."
"How?" Lucy asked. "How do you know?"
"I know because you are the most amazing six year old I have ever met and I can't imagine anyone meeting you and not liking you," Nina said.
Lucy sighed and leaned her forehead on Nina's. "It's happened before."
"If you're talking about the girls at school, they're just stupid," Nina said. "They wouldn't know an awesome person if it punched them in the face."
Lucy laughed a little.
"You are awesome, Lucy," Nina said, wrapping her arms around her.
"You always say that," Lucy said with a giggle.
"Because it's true," Nina said with a laugh.
Lucy hugged her and said, "you're awesome too."
"I know. Where do you think you learned all your awesomeness from? Obviously not Daniel," she said, making Lucy laugh again. She gave Lucy a little squeeze and then helped her up again. "Okay, love. We should probably head downstairs now."
"Okay," Lucy said, taking Nina's hand.
The two girls walked towards the door and grabbed Lucy's bags as they did. Lucy put her backpack on her back while Nina carried her suitcase. They went downstairs to the living room where Daniel and Minerva were waiting for them.
"Ready to go?" Daniel asked as they enter.
"Yep," Nina said, putting Lucy's bag down next to her own and Daniel's.
"Alright," Minerva said. She held up an old newspaper. "This is a Portkey. It will take us to Scotland in one minute. Lucy, do you remember how to take one?"
Lucy nodded as she walked over to Daniel. Daniel picked her up and she wrapped one arm around his neck and grabbed part of the newspaper with the other. Daniel took part of the paper in his hand as well. Minerva motioned Nina over.
"All you have to do is hold on tight," Minerva told her. "It may be a little rough."
"A little is an understatement," Daniel said as Nina held onto the newspaper.
"Great," Nina said. This was the exact reason she hated planes. She looked back at their suitcases. "What about the bags?"
Minerva waved her wand and the bags disappeared. "They will be at my mother's house waiting for us," she said. She checked her watch. "Okay, hold on tightly. Three... two... on-"
All of a sudden the room around them began to spin out of existence. They felt like they were being pulled from the back by a fishing line. Lucy held onto Daniel as hard as she could but she could feel her fingers slipping. Nina felt like her stomach was doing backflips. This was so much worse than flying. Why had she agreed to this? Finally they landed in snow at the outskirts of Isobel McGonagall's property in Castletown, Scotland.
"Oh my god, that was terrible," Nina said as she got up and brushed the snow off her. She looked over to where Daniel was helping Lucy up. "Are you two okay?"
"Yeah, we're good," Daniel said. "Like I said, a little rough is definitely an understatement." He helped Lucy up to her feet and picked her up again. "How you feel, kid?"
"I'm okay," Lucy said. She looked over at her mother who was standing perfectly fine a little ways away. She hadn't fallen and gotten snow all over her clothes like she, Daniel, and Nina did. "You look okay."
Minerva smiled. "I think you have to get used to it. I've taken my fair share of Portkey but I think the two of you are out of practice," she said.
"Out of practice," Daniel mumbled with a shake of his head. They hadn't taken many Portkeys when Minerva was with them anyways because of the war. It was difficult to get and before Lucy was born, the three of them could just side-along Apparate. Adding a fourth person is what made it difficult.
"Alright, shall we get going?" Minerva said.
They nodded and followed Minerva down the path towards the large manor on the property. Daniel put Lucy down and took her hand instead as they walked.
"You okay?" he whispered as they walked.
Lucy nodded. She knew he wasn't just asking about the portkey this time.
They made it to the front door and Minerva knocked. Lucy suddenly felt really scared. She moved closer to Daniel, almost behind him at this point. He looked down at her and smiled. He gave her hand a little squeeze. The door swung open and Isobel McGonagall stood on the other side. She was tall and beautiful with silver hair and barely any wrinkles. She smiled when she saw her daughter.
"Oh my, come in. Come in, quickly. It is so cold," she said, ushering them all inside. When they went in Isobel walked towards Daniel and pulled him into a hug. "Look at you! You look so much older than I remember, my love," she said. "How are you? How are you holding up?"
"I'm okay," he said, letting go of Lucy's hand so that he could hug Isobel with both of his arms. "How are you?"
"I'm fine," she said, pulling away a little bit. She placed her hand on his cheek and gave him a little smile. "It's you two I'm worried about. Are you sure you're alright, Daniel? If you need anything, anything at all -"
"We're okay," Daniel said with a smile.
"You look so much like your father," she whispered, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "I am so sorry for not being there when you needed me. So, so sorry."
"That's not your fault."
Isobel sighed. She didn't know about that. It definitely felt like it was partly her to blame. She gave Daniel's cheek a little pat and then kneeled down and smiled at Lucy. "You have also grown so much since the last time I saw you," she said, pulling Lucy into a hug too. "I missed you both so much."
Suddenly all of Lucy's anger was gone. It dissipated. All she felt was warmth. She felt safe and at home. She smelt Isobel's perfume and felt her hair on her cheek and suddenly it felt like how things used to be. She felt like nothing could hurt her here. Her awkwardness, her nervousness were all gone. Lucy was confident that her grandmother loved her and she loved her too. This was exactly what she had wanted. These past two years this was all she had ever wanted. Tears filled her eyes and she wrapped her arms around her grandmother's neck. She wanted to never let go
"I missed you too," she whispered.
"Oh, darling," Isobel said, picking her up into her arms and standing up. Tears filled her own eyes as she looked down at her granddaughter. "You are so strong, Lucy. I am so proud of you for how strong you've been."
Lucy just buried her face in the crook of Isobel's neck and held her tighter. Isobel put a hand on the back of her head. She kissed her temple before looking over at Minerva. She walked over to her and hugged her too.
"How are you, love?" she whispered, kissing her cheek.
"I'm alright," Minerva said, though she wasn't sure how true that statement was anymore. She looked at Lucy and sighed.
"Ah..." Daniel said when Isobel and Minerva pulled apart. "Isobel -"
Isobel's eyes widened a little before going back to normal. Daniel just called her by her first name. He never did that. He always called her Nani. Was this because he was older now or because she was gone for so long? Did he no longer consider her his family?
"- this is my girlfriend, Nina Chaudhry," he continued, apparently oblivious to what he had just done.
"Hello," Nina said with a smile, holding her hand out for Isobel to shake. "It is nice to finally meet you."
"You as well, Nina. I was excited to meet you when Minerva told me you were coming in her letter," Isobel said with a small smile, shaking Nina's hand. "Why don't you all take off your shoes and coat and we'll go sit down in the living room. I can start a fire in the fireplace to warm us up a bit. You four are the first to arrive."
They nodded and started taking off their shoes and coats. Isobel put Lucy down on the ground and helped her do the same. She gave Lucy a little smile.
"I'm glad you remember me," she said. "I was a little worried that you would have forgotten all about me. You were quite young the last time we saw each other."
Lucy shook her head. "I remember you."
Isobel smiled. Daniel took Lucy's coat from her and Isobel picked Lucy up again. She led the way to the living room and with a flick of her wand a fire started going in the fireplace. They all sat down on the couches and chairs, Lucy stayed in Isobel's lap. Isobel didn't mind at all. She was glad that at least Lucy forgave her.
Isobel flicked her wand again and a tea tray came flying from the kitchen. It set itself down on the table and the teapot started pouring itself into four cups. The milk and sugar went into two of the cups the way Isobel and Minerva liked it but waited on Daniel and Nina to tell Isobel how they liked their tea before going into their cups as well. The cups flew to their respective guest and the cookie tray flew over to Lucy first. Lucy took a cookie and it flew over to Daniel and Nina next, then to Minerva, and then back to the table.
"So, tell me all about you," Isobel said, looking up at Daniel. "What's happened in the last two years that I need to know about? You graduated, yes?"
"Yes," Daniel said with a nod, taking a sip of his tea. "I graduated secondary school. Now I'm studying business at the University of Kent. It's where I met Nina."
"That's wonderful," Isobel said with a smile. "What are you studying, dear?"
"Nursing," Nina said.
"Excellent," Isobel said with a smile. "And how long have you two been seeing each other for?"
"Three months now," Nina said with a smile.
"That's exciting," Isobel said. She looked down at Lucy. "And what about you, my dear? What year are you in now? Two?"
Lucy shook her head. "I'm in year seven."
"Year seven?" Isobel repeated.
"Lucy took a placement test last year that placed her five years ahead of her grade," Minerva explained with a smile. "So, she's skipped most all of primary school now."
"That's wonderful!" Isobel said. "I always knew you were very smart."
Lucy smiled a little. "Really?"
"Of course," Isobel said. "I used to take care of you on Fridays when your nanny, Christie, couldn't and I saw how smart you were. I told your mother from the very beginning that you were going to do great things. Didn't I, Minerva?"
"You did," Minerva said.
Just then there was another knock on the front door. Isobel smiled and put Lucy down on the ground. "Oh, that's probably one of your uncles. Please excuse me."
Lucy watched Isobel stand up and leave the room before walking over to Daniel. He smiled at her as she climbed up on the couch beside him. Isobel returned a few moments later accompanied by a man, a woman, and a teenage girl. The man had short, dark brown hair and the same blue eyes that Isobel and Minerva had. The woman had long brown hair that she had tied up in a high ponytail. She smiled warmly at Minerva and gave her a hug. The teenager looked a lot like her mother and she also hugged her aunt. The man was the first to notice the three others in the room. A huge smile spread across his lips as he strode towards them.
"Lucy! Daniel!" he said happily. Daniel stood up and tried to shake his hand but Robert stopped him and pulled him into a hug instead. "It's so wonderful to see you two again. We heard what happened and we're so sorry we weren't there."
"It's alright," Daniel said, hugging his uncle back. "It's nice to see you again, Robert."
He stopped for a second before letting it go and picking Lucy up off the couch. "Look at you! You're so old now!" he said. "I almost can't pick you up anymore!"
Lucy giggled as he tossed her up and down a bit. Minerva frowned. "Be careful, Robert."
"I'm always careful," he said with a smile though he stopped. He hugged Lucy tightly as Rosalin moved to hug and greet Daniel. "You haven't forgotten us have you, kiddo?"
Lucy shook her head. "I remember you and Aunt Rosalin and Lina."
"Lina?" Nina said with a smile. "I'm Nina."
"That's funny," Lina said with a smile. "We just have one letter difference in our names. It's nice to meet you, Nina."
"You as well," Nina said with smile.
Rosalin came over and took Lucy from her husband. "Hello, love," she said with a smile, kissing her on the cheek. "How are you doing?"
"I'm okay," Lucy said.
They all sat back down and Malcolm and his wife, Daisy, came next with their younger son, Flynn. Flynn was back from Ireland where he worked with dragons. He excitedly told everyone all about the Irish Dragon Reservation and what they were having him do there. Lando, Malcolm's elder son, came in from Edinburgh a little later. They all happily greeted Lucy, Daniel and Nina. With the cousins it wasn't as hard. Daniel didn't hold them responsible for what their parents did. He was happy to see them all. They were all so much older than they had been and it was nice to see them again. He was surprised to see how old Lina looked and how muscular Flynn had gotten. Lando in all honesty looked very much the same.
Everyone sat in the living room and talked. They hadn't seen each other in quite some time and so finally now they were able to catch up. Lucy, who had moved so that Malcolm would have a place to sit, was now sitting on the floor in front of Nina. Malcolm had tried to tell her that it was okay but she didn't listen. Lucy listened to the adults talk but got bored right away. She squirmed around a bit and played with her hair. All she wanted to do was explore this giant house and see how much it had changed or play outside or read her books. She didn't want to sit here and listen to the adults talk anymore.
Finally Lando also got bored of sitting around with the adults and suggested that the kids leave them to talk. He led his cousins out of the sitting room and into the kitchen where they sat down at a large table. Lucy sat down between Nina and Flynn. Nina got along great with all of the cousins but that wasn't really a surprise. They talked and caught up. They had a lot to talk about, two years to cover. Lucy listened to them talk more before she got bored of this as well. She slid off her chair, claiming she had to go to the washroom, and left the kitchen. She walked through the hallway and looked at the pictures and knick knacks on the walls and shelves. They were all the same ones from two years ago. She didn't think that her grandmother liked change very much. Lucy picked up some of the little knick knacks and looked them over but didn't find anything too exciting.
Lucy saw something shiny lying on the ground and walked over to it. It as a small gold bracelet. Lucy picked it up and turned it over in her hands. She figured someone must have dropped it. She walked towards the living room where the adults were sitting. Pausing at the doorway, she debated whether or not she should interrupt them. She took a deep breath and stuck her head through the door. They didn't seem to notice her. She walked quietly towards her grandmother. When they did finally notice her they stopped talking and watched her stop in front of Isobel.
Lucy took Isobel's hand and turned it over to put the bracelet inside. "I think someone dropped this," she whispered.
"Oh, okay," Isobel said with a smile. "Thank you for giving it to me. I'll make sure to give it back to its rightful owner."
Lucy nodded and then ran from the room. Malcolm smiled. "She's still very well mannered."
"Yes she is," Daisy said with a smile. "I mean, she stood up and offered you her seat when we first came in. Our own son was busy sitting comfortably to worry about his father."
"Flynn was just excited to tell everyone about Ireland," Robert said with a laugh. "Though, Lina also didn't think to offer up her seat."
"Offering up your seat to someone older than you is a very big thing in Indian culture," Minerva said. "If there were no seats available for me or her father or Daniel, she would always get up."
"It's a good habit," Isobel said with a smile. She held up the bracelet Lucy gave her. "Did one of you drop this? She said she found it."
"Oh, wonderful," Rosalin said, reaching over for it. "I hadn't even realized I'd lost it."
"You're lucky Lucy is here," Daisy said. She looked over at Minerva and sighed. "How long has it been since Jay passed?"
"About three week," Minerva said, looking down at her teacup.
"How are you holding up?" Malcolm asked.
"I'm fine," she said though she didn't really sound fine. Suddenly Minerva was hit with a wave of deja vu. She'd been here before. She'd sat here with these people and mourned the death of her husband before. Why did this keep happening?
Isobel reached out and put a hand on Minerva's arm. Minerva looked up at her and gave her a reassuring smile. "I'm fine, really," she said. "It's Lucy that I'm worried about. She used to be so... happy and curious and energetic. She used to run around and get distracted by everything. Now she's quiet and just sits around."
"It'll take some time, of course, but I'm sure she'll be back to normal soon," Daisy said. "She'll be running around here acting like her crazy little self soon enough."
"And your back now," Robert said. "That will probably help."
"I don't know how much it's helping," Minerva mumbled. "She still doesn't trust me."
"Give it time, Minerva," Malcolm said. "Soon she and Daniel will trust us all again."
"And maybe he'll start calling me Nani again," Isobel said with a sigh. "And you all aunt and uncle again."
"I don't think he's doing it on purpose to get back at us," Malcolm said.
"No, I don't think he thinks like that," Rosalin said. "He's older, it's been two years. It just probably doesn't feel natural anymore. Maybe in time he'll go back to it."
"I wouldn't fault him for being angry with us," Robert said with a sigh. "He had to go through all that hospital stuff all on his own. That could definitely make someone resentful."
"He wasn't alone," Minerva said. "Raj helped out a lot. He took care of all the legal and hospital stuff. He managed Collins Enterprises and took care of them when Jay and I couldn't. Jay's assistant, Maria, also did a lot. She gets them groceries and meals if they need them. She's stayed on as Daniel's assistant now and takes care of anything that may come up at Collins Enterprises that he may need to deal with for him."
"That's very nice of the both of them," Isobel said.
Minerva nodded. "I don't think that I'm Raj's favourite person right now," she said. "He's said some horrible things but I don't really blame him for it. He's just trying to take care of Daniel and Lucy. I just wish he would be a little more supportive. I think if Lucy saw him forgive me she would be more inclined to do so too."
"I'm sure he'll come around," Robert said. "I remember him being a very stand up guy."
"He's done so much. He stays with them a couple nights out of the week, makes sure they have everything they need for school, takes care of the complicated money stuff," she said. "Daniel told me that before I came back and they found out that Jay was not going to make it, he offered to take custody of Lucy for him so that he could focus on school and live his life without worrying about having to take care of her. Daniel didn't want that though. He said that staying in Rochester and keeping a little bit of consistency would be better for Lucy."
"They are both amazing," Rosalin said.
"I hope I see Raj soon so I can thank him personally," Isobel said. "He's definitely a godsend."
Minerva nodded. She wasn't sure that Isobel would have much luck with Raj either though.
"So, anyways," Minerva said. "How was Germany, Mother? How was traveling with Rufus Scrimgeour?"
"Terrible as you predicted," Isobel said with a sigh. "He was absolutely dreadful to work with. I don't think that man has a humorous bone in his entire body. All work, work, work. Didn't even want to let me see Berlin at all. It was the first time I'd gone and he wanted me inside that stuffy office all day and night. I was able to sneak off and see the sights every now and then as well. A couple other women who worked in the German Ministry took me around. It was nice having a translator though most Germans can speak English."
"That's nice," Daisy said. "I'm glad you were able to get away. I've heard tales of the strict, no fun Rufus Scrimgeour."
"It's all true, I'm afraid," Isobel said with a laugh. "A funny thing did happen though when I came home. There was a big hole in my door! It looked like someone had tried to break it down. I'm guessing it was a teenager from in town. They come up here every now and then on drunken shenanigans."
"Oh, that wasn't a teenager from town," Minerva said. "That was Daniel."
"Daniel?"
Minerva nodded. "Near the end of Jay's life after the lung transplant didn't work, Daniel tried to find one of us," she explained. "He didn't know how to find us. He didn't know how to get a letter to me and I guess he didn't know that you two had a phone in your homes but he knew where you lived, Mother. While you were gone he flew up here to try to find you, hoping you would help. He got angry when you weren't and accidentally punched a hole through your door. He found out later from someone down in town that you had been gone for months now."
"Oh," Isobel said, smile falling. She felt absolutely horrible. Daniel had come looking for her and she hadn't been there. If she had been here she could had a healer look at Jay. She could have done something. Maybe... maybe Jay would still be alive if it wasn't for her. She should never have gone to Germany! "I - I..."
"It's okay," Minerva said softly. It was now her turn to put a hand on Isobel's arm. "It's not your fault."
Isobel wasn't too sure about that. She looked away as tears filled her eyes. She had let Daniel, Lucy, and Jay down. She could have done something but she wasn't here.
Nobody spoke for a very long time. They drank their tea in silence and thought about how different things would have been if they had made it easier for Daniel to find them if he needed help. They all felt responsible. It was all their faults.
...
Minerva entered Lucy's bedroom and found it was freezing cold inside. She looked around and saw Lucy sitting at the bay window. The window was wide open and she was leaning out of it, looking out at the back garden. Minerva smiled. "It's freezing in here."
Lucy looked up and shrugged.
"What are you doing?" Minerva asked, coming over and sitting beside her. She saw the goosebumps on her little arms and frowned.
Lucy pointed out the window and said, "Looking at the ocean."
"I see," she replied, looking out at the beach close by. "When I was little, I used to sit here on my bay window and look out at the water too."
"You lived here your whole life?" Lucy asked, looking up at her.
"Well, until I was eighteen," Minerva replied. "Then I moved to London for work but I deeply missed this place, I must say."
"It is nice," Lucy said. "There's no ocean in London."
"No there isn't," Minerva said with a smile. "So, did you have a nice night? Sleep okay?" Lucy nodded. "Did Nina sleep here with you?"
Lucy nodded again. "She gets worried."
"Oh?"
Lucy looked over at her and furrowed her brow. She crossed her arms and said, "I don't need her here if that's what you think. I can sleep on my own."
"Of course," Minerva said with a smile.
Lucy looked away quickly and whispered, "I was a little scared so she stayed with me."
"That's okay. There is no reason to be ashamed of that," she said, putting a hand on Lucy's arms.
Lucy nodded.
"So, how are you liking it here?" Minerva asked, deciding to change the subject.
"Good," Lucy said. "I missed everyone. Daddy said that we couldn't come here for Christmas because Nani was traveling and then last Christmas we went to Spain and America over Christmas break."
"How was that?" Minerva asked.
"It was fun. Daddy had some meetings in Madrid and New York City so he decided to take us with him," she said. "We had Christmas in Madrid and it was fun. The hotel room was huge and the Christmas tree was really pretty but we didn't get to decorate it ourselves and I kind of missed England. It didn't snow very much in Madrid."
"Christmas needs snow," Minerva said.
Lucy nodded. "I missed it here," she said, looking back out at the ocean. "Scotland's nice too."
"It is."
"But now it feels different," she said.
"Like something's missing?"
Lucy nodded slowly. Minerva sighed and put a hand in her shoulder.
"I know," she said. "I feel it too."
"It still doesn't really feel like Christmas," she said. "I don't think it ever will."
"It just takes time, love," Minerva said. She looked back outside as well and saw it was starting to snow. The winds pushed the snow inside the window but Lucy didn't seem to notice or care. She watched the rough waves crash against the shore.
"Can I ask you a question?" asked Lucy suddenly.
"Of course," Minerva said with a smile.
"Um, well," Lucy mumbled. "Everyone seems... sad. Like they're happy but at the same time they're sad. And the other day you said it was dangerous now. How come?"
Minerva took a deep breath. She thought about what to tell Lucy. She couldn't just tell her that there was a war going on that had killed thousands of people and was devastating what was left of the wizard community in the United Kingdom. That slowly people were beginning to lose hope. Lucy wouldn't understand and Minerva didn't want her to. She didn't want her daughter to worry about these things. Lucy had enough to worry about right now without Minerva adding to it. "Times are a little tough right now, love," Minerva said instead. "But it's nothing to worry about. Things will get better. They always do."
"I don't know if they do," Lucy whispered, looking away from her mother again.
"They do, sweetheart," Minerva said, moving a little closer to her daughter. She put an arm around Lucy and pulled her closer. She felt how cold her body was and wanted to warm her up as much as she could. She wished there was a way for her to take all of Lucy's pain away right here, right now but there wasn't an easy fix for this. "It'll get better. For all of us. It just takes time."
There was silence for a long time. Finally Lucy turned back to her mother with a small smile on her face. She leaned her head on Minerva's side and whispered, "I'm glad you're back."
Minerva smiled. This was all that she had wanted Lucy to say in the past few days. These four little words filled her with so much happiness. Lucy was finally letting her in. Minerva gave her a little squeeze and said, "I'm glad I'm back too. I missed you and Daniel so much."
"Please don't leave again," she whispered, moving to hug Minerva's chest and burying her head in her side.
"I won't, darling," Minerva said, stroking Lucy's hair.
"What about when your school starts again?"
"I will be home every night," Minerva promised her. "Don't worry, I'll be home when you get home."
"Okay," Lucy said looking up with a small smile. "Maybe you can meet my friend Anne. She's really nice and she likes all the same things that I like. Well, maybe not all the things but that's okay."
Minerva laughed. "Well, I can't wait to meet her," she said. "Now, your fingers are frozen solid. Let's close this window and go see what everyone else is doing."
"Okay," Lucy said with a smile, pulling away from her mother and standing up on her knees to pull the window down. Minerva smiled when she wasn't strong enough to pull it down. Minerva helped her close the window and then pulled out her wand and pointed it at Lucy.
Suddenly Lucy felt warmth spread through her whole body. "Wow," she said, looking down at her fingers that no longer felt like they were going to fall off. "I feel warm."
Minerva smiled and pulled her back into a hug. She kissed her cheek and pulled her off the couch. Lucy giggled as her mother carried her out of the room.
Wednesday, December 24th 1997
"So, do you remember much of Hogwarts?" Lina asked. She and Lucy were sitting on the couch in the living room talking about how much life had changed in the past two years. Lucy had missed talking to Lina. She used to be the cousin Lucy was the closest with.
"Not really," she said. "Even when Mum was here we didn't go to Hogwarts very often. I think I was really little when I went last. I don't remember much about it but I've read a lot about Hogwarts in books and stuff."
"You should come visit," Lina said. "Hogwarts is a lot better than any book can make it seem. It's just so... magical. You can feel it in the atmosphere there."
"I hope I can visit," Lucy said. "I would love to go back to Hogwarts."
"And you can always come when you're eleven," Lina said with a smile. "I'll be gone by then though."
"Do you know what you want to do after school?" Lucy asked.
"Not really. I haven't really decided yet. I'm supposed to have a meeting this year with your mum to discuss it," she said.
"Really? Why my mum?"
"She's my head of house. I'm in Gryffindor and she's the Head of Gryffindor House," Lina said. "In fifth year all the students have to go to a career advisory meeting with their head of house. I still haven't decided what I want to talk about with her though."
"Oh, I see," Lucy said. "How can you -"
"Lucy!" Nina's voice came through the room. She was coming down the stairs towards the living room.
"Yes?" Lucy asked, looking over at her.
"Dinner tonight is supposed to be fancy," Nina said, coming into the living room and speaking at a normal volume again. "Oopar aaja. Hum apane kupada -"
"Nahi, main dress pahanana nahin chaahati," Lucy replied, crossing her arms.
Lina looked between Lucy and Nina. She had no idea what they were saying to each other. She remembered things like this happening before. Sometimes Lucy and Daniel would start talking in Hindi to one another when they didn't want the others to know what they were saying or Jay would talk to Lucy and Daniel in Hindi.
Nina frowned and crossed her arms too. She said, "Aap ise pahanenge agar aap khaana ke lie aana chaahate hain."
"To Main khaane ke lie nahin aaegi."
"Aap Christmas Eve ke khaane par nahi aane?
"Ji."
"Um," Lina mumbled. "What's going on?"
"Nothing," Lucy replied, looking back at her.
"Okay, Lucy," Nina said, glaring at the little girl. "Fine. I'll go get Minerva or Daniel."
She waited for Lucy to protest but she didn't. The two girls stared at each other for a long time before Nina groaned and looked away. Lucy smiled. She had won their glaring contest. Nina stormed out of the room angrily.
"Maybe you should just do what she wants," Lina said with a laugh, watching her go.
"No, it's okay," Lucy said. "Um, so you have class with my mum, right?"
"Yeah," Lina said with a smile. "She teaches me transfigurations, but..." Lina looks around and lowered her voice. "She's kind of scary at school."
Lucy laughed. "Really?"
"Yeah, she's kind of strict and a very, um, no-funny-business type of teacher," Lina replied with a laugh.
"I could see that," Lucy said with a laugh. "When I was little, she -"
"What are you two talking about?" Minerva asked as she entered the living room, making both girls jump. They looked over at her and smiled innocently.
"Nothing," they said together.
Minerva raised an eyebrow at them but neither of them elaborated. "Alright... well," she said, "Lucy, Nina is waiting for you upstairs. You better hurry, we'll be having dinner soon."
"Um, I already told Nina -"
"I know what you told her," Minerva replied in her strict teacher voice, "but I am giving you the chance to reconsider your decision and you can do that upstairs." She held out her hand for Lucy to take. "Come along now."
Lucy sighed. She stared at Minerva for a second before giving in and getting up grumpily. Minerva was glad that there were still some things that Nina couldn't do. Things that Lucy still needed her mother for. Lucy took her hand and looked back at Lina. "See you."
"See you, Lucy," Lina said with a smile.
"Oh, Lina," Minerva said, looking back at her niece. "Your mother is looking for you as well. She would like your help in the kitchen."
"Okay," Lina said, getting up and walking towards the kitchen.
Minerva looked down at Lucy who still looked very grumpy. She smiled and shook her head before leading her up the stairs towards her bedroom where Nina was waiting. Nina was sitting on the bed putting on some earrings when Lucy and Minerva walked in. She looked up and smiled. "You've changed your mind."
"No," Lucy said, letting go of her mother's hand and walking over to Nina. She hopped up on the bed beside her and crossed her arms again. "Nina. Main nahin pahanana chaahati."
Nina smiled. "Mujhe pata hai," she said. "Please just wear it for your nani. You'll look nice and it will make Isobel happy, won't it?"
Minerva wished she understood what Nina and Lucy were saying when they spoke to each other in Hindi. She always had this problem with Jay as well but he usually translated for her. She had picked up some words and given more time she could probably learn the language but she had always been a little preoccupied. She walked over to a chair where the dress Nina wanted Lucy to wear was laying. It was a simple dress with a black top and a dark red skirt. Minerva brought it over to the bed. Lucy looked at it and made a face.
"Lucy, why do you hate dresses? You wear them all the time for dance," Nina said with a sigh when Lucy still refused to put it on. "Everyone is going to be wearing one. Me, your mum, Lina, everyone."
Lucy shrugged and Minerva laid out the dress on the bed beside her. "It is a lovely dress," she said. "It'll look nice on you."
"It looks like tattee," Lucy mumbled quietly. Minerva had never heard this word before.
"Hey, watch the language," Nina said with a shake of her head though she did smile. She nudged Lucy a little with her elbow. Lucy smiled a little, getting the reaction that she wanted. Minerva raised her eyebrow, not knowing what exactly Lucy said. Nina sighed. "Okay. How about this, if you put on the dress I won't tell everyone at dinner what happened with Anne a couple of weeks ago."
Lucy looked at her. "What happened with Anne?"
Nina looked at Minerva and then back at Lucy with a sly smile. "Oh you know, the chocolate pudding incident..."
Lucy stood up immediately and grabbed the dress. She walks towards the bathroom. "I'll wear the stupid dress."
Nina and Minerva laughed as Lucy closed the door behind her. Minerva looked at Nina. "What did she say the dress looked like?"
"She said it looked like shit," Nina said with a laugh.
"This whole knowing another language thing is going to make it hard on me isn't it?" Minerva asked with a shake of her head. "Maybe I should learn."
"You should," Nina said. "Do you speak any other language?"
"French but that's it," she replied. "A little bit of Latin but I don't really count that."
"Oh, I speak French too," Nina said.
"Really? So, you speak three languages?"
"Yep, learning a second language was a big thing in the school curriculum here," Nina said. "So I did French and then decided to continue it in university. And of course I knew Hindi already because that's what my parents speak."
"Where do your parents live?"
"They live in India," Nina replied. "They used to live here when I was in secondary school but decided to move back to India when I started going to University. All my family is there so it's nice for them to be with my grandparents and aunts and uncles."
"So are you going to go back as well?"
"Oh no," Nina said with a laugh, shaking her head. "No, India is great but I don't want to live there. I like it here in the UK, besides I doubt Daniel and Lucy would like to move to India with me."
Minerva smiled. "I don't know," she said. "I feel like Daniel would go anywhere for you."
"Well, I wouldn't ask him to anyway," Nina said with a shy smile. "Honestly, sometimes I think Daniel is too nice. He needs to think about himself a little bit more."
Minerva was about to say something when the bathroom door opened again and Lucy came out in the dress. She walked over to Nina and turned around, pulling her hair over her shoulder so it was out of the way. "Can you zipper it?"
"Of course," Nina said, reaching over and doing up the zipper for her. "See you look great!"
"Eh," Lucy said with a shrug.
Nina rolled her eyes and pulled Lucy up onto the bed. "Okay, you little brat," she said making Lucy laugh, "how should we do your hair today?"
"How are you doing your hair?" Lucy asked.
"Hmm... I was thinking maybe a half clipped back and half down thing," Nina replied, picking up a hand mirror from the bedside table and looking at herself in it. She handed it to Lucy. "What do you think?"
"I think that'll look nice," Lucy said, looking at herself in the mirror too. She moved it up so that she could see Nina through it and smiled. "I wanna do it too."
"Okay, sounds good, we can be like twins," Nina said with a laugh, picking up the hairbrush and brushing it through Lucy's hair.
"And I want to wear earrings too," Lucy said.
"You have your ears pierced?" Minerva asked a little shocked.
Lucy nodded. "Daddy let me get them done when I was four," she said, holding up four fingers for Minerva to see.
"Four?" Minerva muttered, furrowing her brow at Lucy. She couldn't believe that Jay would let Lucy do that. "That's so young..."
Nina smiled. "It's not that bad. I mean I got mine done when I was a baby. It's kind of an Indian thing I think," she said, clipping back Lucy's hair. She stood up from the bed and walked over to her bag. She brought it over to the bed. Pulling out small red studs, she said, "How about these ones? They match your dress."
"Okay," Lucy said. She took the earrings from Nina and pulled her old earrings out of her ear. She handed these ones over to Nina. "Keep them safe."
"I will," Nina said with a smile. "Are these real gold?"
"Yep," Lucy said. "Daddy gave them to me so I have to keep them safe."
"Okay, I'll put them in here," Nina said, pointing out a side pocket on her bag. "Do you want to wear a necklace too?"
"Okay."
"So you don't like dresses but you're okay with jewellery?" Minerva asked with a smile.
Lucy smiled. "Yep."
Minerva shook her head but smiled. Nina pulled out a necklace with a red pendant that matched the earrings Lucy was wearing. She moved back to sitting behind Lucy on the bed and put the necklace around her neck. She clasped it in the back and said, "there you go, my love."
"Thank you, Nina!" Lucy said happily.
Minerva left to get changed while Nina did her own hair. When Minerva returned to the room Nina was doing her makeup while Lucy jumped on the bed watching her. "I don't know how your grandmother would feel about you jumping on the bed."
Lucy stopped immediately and looked at her mother with wide eyes. "Would she be mad?"
Minerva smiled. "No, I'm only joking."
"Oh, okay," Lucy said with a smile as she started jumping again. Nina looked over and laughed. Lucy looked back over at her and watched her brush a little bit of red powder lightly across her cheekbones. "Maybe I should do makeup too."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Nina said with a smile, looking at her through the mirror. "You'll start to look so much older."
Minerva walked over to the bed and sat down. She reached over and grabbed Lucy by the arm. Lucy laughed and flopped down beside her mother. "You don't need makeup," she said with a smile. "So, Christmas is tomorrow, are you excited?"
Lucy shrugged. "Do we have to go to church?" she asked, making a face. "I don't want to wake up early to go to church."
"Well, we usually go to church," Minerva said. "It makes Nani and Uncle Malcolm happy but this year we can't go down into town so we won't be going to church."
"How come?" Lucy asked.
Just then the door opened and Daniel came in wearing a dress shirt and trousers, saving Minerva from answering Lucy's question. He smiled when he saw Lucy. "You wore the dress, that's good," he said. "I was a little worried I'd come in here and find you still whining about not wanting to wear it."
Lucy stuck her tongue out at Daniel and he laughed. He walked up to his girlfriend and hugged her from behind. "You look beautiful."
"Why thank you," Nina said with a smile.
"You guys need to get a room," Lucy mumbled.
Minerva laughed. She stood up from the bed and held her hand out for Lucy. "Why don't we go downstairs and let them finish getting ready?" she said. "I'm sure the others are heading down too."
"Okay," Lucy said, jumping down from the bed and taking her mother's hand. She looked over at Daniel and Nina.
"Don't worry, kid," Daniel said with a smile, still hugging Nina from behind. "We'll be down in a minute."
Lucy nodded and pulled her mother towards the door by the hand. Minerva smiled and followed. They walked down the stairs and into the dining room. Isobel, Malcolm, Robert and Daisy were already sitting down. When they entered Isobel smiled at Lucy. "Oh, don't you look lovely!" she said, opening her arms and motioning Lucy over. "I sorely missed having a little girl running around this house. Come sit next to me, darling."
Lucy let go of her mother's hand and sat down on the chair next to her grandmother. Minerva sat down on the other side of Lucy. Flynn and Lando came in next and took their seats. Then Daniel and Nina and then finally Rosalin and Lina. Malcolm led the grace. Lucy kept looking up over at Daniel during it. Daniel gave her a small smile. Nina wasn't really sure what she was doing. She just followed along with what Lina was doing beside her. When they were done, the food appeared on the empty dishes in the centre of the table. Minerva helped Lucy pour some food into her plate. They ate and talked. Malcolm asked Daniel and Nina what they were studying. Flynn answered more of Lucy's questions about dragons. Lando told them about a new girl he had been seeing named Sirena and Lina answered questions about how her O.W.L. classes were going.
After dinner the family moved over to the living room to drink their tea. Daniel sat on the couch with an arm around Nina watching Flynn and Lando play chess while Malcolm and Robert and Rosalin discussed Robert's work in Egypt with Gringotts Bank. Isobel, Minerva and Daisy were talking amongst themselves as well, a lot quieter than everyone else. Daisy was telling them what was happening at the Scottish branch of the Ministry. Lina sat on the floor in front of the tree with Lucy.
"So, you know about Christmas crackers, I'm sure," Lina said, holding out what looked like a normal cracker.
"Yeah..." Lucy said suspiciously.
"Well, these ones are basically the same thing but, like, better," Lina said with a smile. She holds it out for Lucy to grab the other end. Lucy did so and they pulled.
BOOM!
"Lina!" Rosalin exclaimed with her hand over her heart as the room filled with a blue smoke. "You have to warn everyone when you open one of those!"
Lina laughed. "Sorry, mum."
Lucy laughed too. Isobel smiled and shook her head. She took out her wand and with one flick the blue smoke swirled into a small ball in the centre of the room before disappearing completely. She asked, "so what did you get?"
Lucy looked down and saw that she had gotten the bigger end. A large Viking helmet sat on the floor in front of her. Lina picked it up and put it on Lucy's head. It fell below her eyes. Her head lowered slightly. "Ouf, it's heavy!"
Everyone laughed as Lucy pushed the helmet up so she could see. Lina grabbed the small piece of paper and read it. "Okay, here's the joke; what does Santa suffer from if he gets stuck in a chimney? Claustrophobia."
"Wow," Daniel said with a shake of his head. "I guess wizard crackers have the same terrible jokes that regular crackers do."
Flynn smiled. "I don't know, I kind of liked it."
"Of course you did," Lando mumbled. "You have the same stupid type of humour that whoever makes those do."
Lucy looked at the last thing that came out of the cracker. It was a small book. She picked it up and read the title. Atlas of the World. Atlas? The book looked far too small to hold a map of the whole world. Lucy opened it up.
"Whoa!" she exclaimed as a holographic image of the globe shone out of the book.
"Wow, that's cool," Lina said. She reached up and touched the globe. It started to move when she did so. She made a flicking motion with her fingers and it spun around on its axis like an actual globe.
"That's awesome," Lucy said with a smile. She closed the book and the globe disappeared. She stood up and ran to Nina and Daniel. "Look! Look!"
Nina smiled. "Yeah, that's really cool, Lucy."
She reached over and took the Viking helmet off Lucy's head as it kept falling past her eyes. She put it on Daniel's head and he laughed. "Do I look like a Norse God?"
"I think you need muscles to be a Norse God," Lucy said matter-of-factly as Nina pulled her into her lap, making everyone laugh again.
Daniel made a face at her. "Hey, watch it," he said. "You don't want to be put on the naughty list the night before Christmas."
"I won't be put on the naughty list," Lucy said as she opens the book again to show Nina the globe. "I'm a good little Indian girl."
Nina smiled and fixed Lucy's hair. Daniel shook his head and took the helmet off, putting it on Lucy's head again ruining Nina's work. Isobel watched the way Nina, Daniel and Lucy acted with each other and then looked over at her daughter. Minerva was sipping her tea quietly and looking away. Lina also stood up from where she was sitting and walked over to look at her cousin's chess game.
"He's got you on the ropes, Flynn," she said with a laugh.
"I've got it, Lina, don't worry," Flynn said, annoyed.
Daniel looked at the board too. "You could ask Lucy for help," he suggested. "She's good at chess."
"Really?"
"Yep," Lucy said. "No one's beat me yet."
"Okay, kid," Flynn said motioning for her to come over. Lucy slid down from Nina's lap, handing her the book and sat down next to Flynn on the ground in front of the coffee table. "Think you can help me out of this one?"
"Okay, so let me get this straight, you are enlisted the help of a six year old?" Lando said with a laugh. "You're definitely desperate, brother."
"You won't be so cocky after you lose to this six year old, Lando. Just wait. I have faith in mine and Lucy's abilities to crush you!"
"Well, my ability," Lucy mumbled quietly as she concentrated on the board. "You are not very good at chess."
Lina laughed. "I have faith in Lucy's abilities too, not so much Flynn's."
Lucy finally moved a knight across the board and sat back. She was still wearing the Viking helmet and was constantly lifting it up above her eyes so that she could actually see. While they played Malcolm moved over to sit near Minerva.
"Okay, I know that you were very smart when you were six but even you were never this smart. Have you considered that your daughter could be a genius?" he asked as he sat down.
"No, never once," Minerva muttered, giving him a look.
"Sarcasm really does not look great on you, Minerva," he said, giving her a look before smiling and shaking of his head.
Minerva smiled. "Lucy has a photographic memory," she explained. "Though I'm sure she has quite the IQ on top of that. It's one thing to remember everything, it's another to actually apply the knowledge."
"Ah," Malcolm said.
"She seems to be very powerful as well," Isobel said. "I saw her doing magic yesterday in the garden. She made so many snowballs and had them firing at the other children with just a flick of her hand. I know she started doing magic at a very young age, that was true for all of you as well, but I've never seen anyone without a wand or any formal training do anything like that with their magic."
"She's already doing some complicated spells," Minerva said. "She's read all the textbooks I left behind and is already doing most of her chores with magic."
"She's a very special one," Rosalin said with a smile.
"Most children her age can only do magic when they're very emotional and even then it's mostly just small magic," Isobel said. "She, on the other hand, has so much control over her magic for someone so young."
"I can't wait to see what she can do once she's a little older and actually has some schooling," Malcolm said.
Minerva looked at Lucy. She watched her concentrate on the board and think carefully before moving her next piece. "I think that she is going to do great things," Minerva said quietly with a small smile on her face. Lucy was very special and Minerva was very proud of her. "Whether that is in the Muggle world or the magical one, it's up to her."
"Checkmate," Lucy said.
"What? No!" Lando exclaimed, looking at the board.
"You lost, bro!" Flynn said with a laugh.
"I'm still undefeated," Lucy said with a smile.
"Even with the huge disadvantage of playing with Flynn's mess," Lina said with a laugh.
"Shut up," Flynn snipped at her. He looked down at Lucy. "We did it right?"
Lucy looked up at him and smiled. "Sure," she said, letting him take some of the credit even though she did do most of the work. "We did it."
He laughed and stood up, pulling Lucy onto his shoulders. Lucy laughed, holding onto Flynn's chin with one hand and holding the Viking helmet up above her eyes with the other as Flynn runs around the room. "We did it! We did it!" he cheered as he bounced her up and down. "We beat Lando! We are awesome and he sucks!"
"Yay!" Lucy cheered.
"Flynn, be careful," Malcolm called.
"Why don't we do the presents now," Isobel said with a smile.
"Ooh, presents," Flynn said childishly.
"Presents? But it's not Christmas yet," Lucy said.
Flynn set Lucy down. "Yeah, we usually open one present each on Christmas Eve, don't you remember?" he said. "Then the rest on Christmas day. Grandma usually has us open hers on Christmas Eve."
"Yeah, I don't think your grandmother can make herself wait another whole night," Robert said with a laugh.
Isobel smiled. "No, I can't. Now come sit."
All the kids moved to sit down on the floor in front of their grandmother. Lucy sat down next to Nina and Daniel who had been ushered over as well. Nina had not expected a present at all, not really being a part of the family but Isobel ushered her over anyways. Isobel flicked her wand and gifts flew out from under the tree and into the laps of everyone in the room. Presents also flew into the laps of Isobel's own children and their wives. Everyone opened their presents. Flynn got an encyclopaedia on different dragon breeds which he loved. Lando received a magic key that could unlock any lock he wanted. Lina was given a gold necklace that could make the wearer's hair change into bright neon colours. She loved it and thanked Isobel over and over. Nina was given a camera that could take moving pictures and Daniel got a miniature glass spinning top called a Sneakoscope. It supposedly emitted a high pitched noise in the presence of description. Isobel gave Lucy a small shoulder bag that was a lot larger on the inside than it looked on the outside. She could put anything she wanted it in there without having to worry about it getting too heavy.
"Thank you," Lucy said, walking over to her grandmother and giving her a hug.
Isobel pulled her up into her lap and smiled. "Of course, darling," she said softly, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome back home."
Minerva smiled. She was glad that Lucy and Daniel were back with their family. A lot had happened in the last few weeks and she hoped that the added family support helped pull them all out of the dark a little bit more. Minerva noticed Lucy yawn and looked at the clock. It was very late now and well past Lucy's bedtime. She looked over at Nina who was busy changing her hair colour with Lina's necklace and Daniel who was reading Flynn's book over his shoulder to notice the time.
"Lucy," she said, "I think it's time for bed."
"No, I think I should stay up," Lucy replied, looking over at her mother. "I'm not tired."
"You're not tired?" Minerva asked skeptically.
"Nope," she said but suddenly she yawned to contradict her point. Minerva raise an eyebrow at her but she shook her head adamantly.
Isobel laughed. "Alright, I think you should go to bed, sweetheart," she said. "I mean, the sooner you go to bed the sooner Christmas comes right."
Nina looked over at Lucy and smiled. "Oh, I completely lost track of time."
"That's alright, Nina," Minerva said, setting her cup down and standing up. "You can stay here, I'll take Lucy to bed."
"Oh, okay," Nina said with a smile.
Lucy looked at her mother and then over to Nina with a frown. She slid down off of Isobel's lap and walked over to where Nina was sitting. "You're not coming?"
"It's alright, love," she said. "Minerva is going up with you and I'll be up soon too. That's okay right?"
Lucy sighed but nodded. "Okay."
Nina smiled and gave Lucy a hug. "Goodnight."
"Night," she mumbled.
Lucy said goodnight to everyone else before taking her things and walking upstairs with Minerva. Minerva led her into her bedroom. Lucy walked over to sit down on the bed with a sigh. Minerva gave her a small smile. She took the Viking helmet off of Lucy's head and sets it down on the table. Lucy took the butterfly clip out of her hair as well and handed it to Minerva, who set it down on the dresser.
"It's okay, Lucy," Minerva said, knowing her daughter was still a little sad that Nina hadn't come to put her to bed. "Nina will be up soon enough."
"I know," she said quietly. She hopped off the bed and grabbed her pajamas from the dresser drawer. She then walked to her mother and turned around. "Can you get my zipper?"
"Yes," Minerva said. She leaned over and unzipped the dress. Lucy walked over to the bathroom to change. Minerva sat down on the bed and took out her own earrings while she waited for Lucy to come back.
Lucy came back wearing her Batman pajamas. She threw the dress she had been wearing on a chair and climbed up onto the bed next to her mother. She took off the necklace Nina had given her and handed it to her mother.
"Do you want to take off the earrings too?" Minerva asked standing up to put the necklace on the dresser as well.
"I have to put on the other ones," Lucy said, pointing over at Nina's bag of jewellery. "Or the holes will close over."
Minerva picked it up and opened the pocket that Nina had put Lucy's other earrings in and pulled them out. She looked them over. They were gold earrings in the shape of leaves. Minerva walked back to the bed and handed Lucy the earrings. She sat down and watched as Lucy took off the ones she was wearing and put the gold ones back in. She sighed and shook her head. "I can't believe your father let you get your ears pierced."
Lucy smiled a small smile as she set the earrings down on the bedside table. "He said you wouldn't like it."
"And I'm guessing that only made you want to do it even more, right?" she asked with a smile.
"No..." Lucy said with a smile. She looked over at the clock and frowned. It wasn't really that late. Daniel and Nina always stayed up so much later than she did. It wasn't fair. "I'm not tired. I don't want to sleep."
"You say that every night."
"I think I'll stay up and wait for Nina to come upstairs," said Lucy.
"Lucy..." Minerva mumbled with a sigh. "Alright, what's wrong? Why do you need Nina so you can sleep?"
"I don't need her," Lucy said, looking away. "I just like it when she's here. She always comes and puts me to bed. Why isn't she today?"
"Well, even she needs a break sometimes, right?"
"A break from me?"
"No, no, that's not what I meant," Minerva said. She moved over and sat down next to Lucy, putting a hand on her back. "I just mean that sometimes she might like to keep doing whatever she's doing without having to worry about you not getting enough sleep."
Lucy sighed. "Well, I still don't want to sleep."
She stood up, quickly moving out of her mother's reach. Minerva gave her a look. "You need to go to bed, Lucy."
"You know, Batman doesn't sleep! He fights bad guys at night," Lucy said jumping down from the bed. She ran around the room excitedly and did a pretty impressive cartwheel. Minerva smiled and shook her head. "He's so cool! He can do flips and punch out bad guys like The Joker!"
Minerva stood up from the bed and walked over to where Lucy was. She tried to grab her but Lucy moved out of the way and laughed. "Lucy."
"He's like a ninja! You can't catch him!"
"Okay, I'm going to count to ten," Minerva said, putting her hands on her hips and gave her a pointed look. "You better be in bed by then or else." Lucy giggled as Minerva started counting, still not taking her very seriously. "One, two, three, four, five, six... Lucy, I'm not playing anymore. Get in bed. Seven... Eight... I'm serious. Nine... te-"
"Okay, okay!" Lucy said quickly, smile fading away. She scurried over and jumped up onto the bed. "I'm in bed."
Minerva smiled. She was glad that even if Lucy was smart for her age those old tactics still worked on her. "Good."
Minerva walked over to the bed and pulled the blanket up over her daughter. Lucy crossed her arms and looked up at her mother with a frown. "Nina's more fun."
"Well, she'll be here soon. You can stay up and wait for her if you want to but you have to lay here in bed while you wait," Minerva told her, knowing full well that there was no way Lucy was going to last that long.
"Fine, I will," Lucy replied stubbornly.
"Okay," Minerva said with a smile. She leaned down and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight, Lucy."
"Night."
...
"You're jealous," Isobel said, looking over at her daughter with a small smile. They were standing in the kitchen alone. It was quite late now and everyone else headed upstairs to go to bed a while ago. It was just Minerva and Isobel left, cleaning up the rest of the dishes and silverware.
"What?" Minerva asked looking over at her mother with a raised eyebrow.
"You're jealous of the way Nina is with Lucy," Isobel said, watching Minerva pick up the glass and inspect it with a frown. Minerva walked passed her, opened a cupboard, and put the glass away.
"I don't know where you got that idea but -"
"Minerva, it may not be obvious to anyone else but I'm your mother. I know you better than that," Isobel interrupted with a smile and a shake of her head. She put down a plate in the sink so it could start washing itself and turned to look back at her daughter. "And I know that you're jealous of Nina."
Minerva sighed and closed the cupboard. She turned back around, crossed her arms and leaned back on the counter. She avoided her mother's gaze when she spoke. "It's not that I'm jealous," she said. "It's just..."
"It's just that you wish Lucy would come to you when she was excited or ask you to do things for her instead of going to Nina first?" Isobel said.
"It would be nice, yes," she muttered, still not looking at her mother.
Isobel gave her daughter a knowing smile. She walked over to Minerva and put a hand on her arm. "Just give it time, love," she said, leaning back on the counter as well and put her arm around her daughter. Minerva sighed and leaned her head against her mother's shoulder. "Lucy will get over you not being there. Children don't really see logic, you know. They see who's there and who's not. You had your reasons for not being there, reasons which she will understand when she gets a little older but all that matters now is that you're here now. In time she'll realize that you're here to stay and she'll treat you the same way as she treats Nina."
"I know," Minerva mumbled. "It's just... she's only been around for Lucy for three months! I know I wasn't there but Nina has only been there for three months."
"Yes but, you have to remember, it was also most likely the hardest three months of Lucy's life," Isobel said with a sigh. "She can have two mother figures, Minerva. She doesn't have to be restricted to one."
"Yes, I just wish she'd realize that too."
"She will," Isobel said. "In time."