One.
A family of five walked swiftly through the gates and into Kings Cross Station on a muggy August morning in 1971 carrying several bags of luggage and three caged barn owls with a sheep dog in tow. Ethan Bones walked beside his wife, Adelina, their three children, Edgar, Amelia and Elliot followed close behind. The couple had been married for well over eighteen years and was two of the most successful Aurors in the Wizarding World. They resided in an oversized and over furnished house in the south of England in Andover. Their summers were often spent in France with Mrs. Bones' parents, Céline and Pierre Peau.
Their three children normally looked forward to the annual trip, namely the femme Bones child, though this year, it had been hard for Edgar, the eldest, to leave behind his beloved better half, Nathalia Bobbin. Edgar stood at a tall five foot eleven with short dark brown hair and light blue eyes. His facial features were well defined and his cheekbones were strong. Elliot, the youngest of the Bones children, had looks that paralleled his brothers, though they were much softer and undefined, still hidden in his adolescence. The middle child, Amelia, was shorter than both of her brothers, a petite five foot five. Her hair was much like that of her brothers, dark brown and uncommonly soft and fell just below her shoulders in natural tendrils. Her eyes, however, were darker, a navy blue, the trait of her mother's side of the family and could almost always be found under her heavy eyelashes.
Each played their role in rank of the Bones children. Edgar was by all means the leader of the group. He played the part of the older brother in every aspect of the phrase. He looked after his siblings in a way that ensured their safety and could be suffocating at times, for Amelia in particular. Amelia was a bit more easygoing than her older brother, though she took her schoolwork far more seriously. Being all members of the Ravenclaw house, they were all studious, Amelia, however, was more disciplined and poised and much harder on herself than anyone else. Elliot, though the youngest, stood as a sort of middle ground between his brother and sister. He was energetic, like Edgar, but compassionate, like Amelia. He was a mixture of both of them, and therefore, blended with the two of them quite well.
The five Bones family members darted in and out of groups of muggles, their eyes all set on platform 9 and 3/4. Their dog, Maxwell, lagged behind them, stopping to sniff the hands of strangers.
Swiftly but surely, the family stepped through the platform and back into their world. Students and parents alike walked past them, eager to see new and old friends. Shedding their cloaks, the Bones family stepped back into their skin.
"Merlin, it's good to be heading back." Edgar said, taking off his cloak and draping it over his free arm. "I've missed the old place." he said with a soft grin.
"Edgar Bones," Amelia said shaking her head, "you tell such lies. You can't possibly miss the smell of must and text and ink splattered across your desk. The only reason you want to get back to Hogwarts is so you can jump right into Quidditch again. As if you didn't do enough training with Amos Diggory and Kingsley Shacklebolt over the summer. Honestly, if I don't see another broom stick for the rest of my life, I think I can die considerably happy." She said with a roll of her eyes.
Edgar's passion for the sport wasn't a secret. Since he had learned to ride a broom, he knew that he was destined to be a player and his main aspiration had been to become a captain, which he had successfully done. When he wasn't with Nathalia or Kingsley and Amos, he was down at the pitch, trying to perfect his game.
"Lia," he said using her nickname affectionately, "You say that like it's a bad thing! Quidditch is something that cannot be explained. It's more then a feeling, but less then a mood. There is nothing better then feeling the wind rush through your hair-"
"And getting the knots out-" She muttered.
"Feeling your eyes widen-"
"And water-"
"Watching the scenery wiz past you-"
"Watching your breakfast wiz past you-"
Edgar rolled his eyes at his sister's sarcastic comments. The main reason that Amelia hated Quidditch so much was because she wasn't good at it. Amelia liked order and she liked facts that never changed. With her studies, she always knew what the answer was. Quidditch was unpredictable; one never knows how the game is going to be played.
"Alright, fine." He considered. "So you don't like Quidditch, but you can't tell me that you didn't ogle Kingsley every chance you got." He teased.
Amelia shook her head at this, biting back a grin and gave Edgar a 'quit-while-you're-ahead' look. Edgar had been trying to set his sister up with Kingsley for nearly a year. Her friendship with Xenophilius Lovegood, Edgar feared, was going to result in marriage. He had once tried to express this concern to Amelia but she just laughed it off. In Edgar's mind, everyone should be paired off before the age of seventeen and on their way to making plans for a future family. Everyone should want a good job and a white picket fence around their house. Sometimes, Amelia thought her brother was right of out the 1950s.
True, Xeno and Amelia had been friends since they met when she was eleven and he twelve, but nothing substantial had mounted. Some thought that Xeno harbored feelings for Amelia, though Amelia would argue otherwise. Nonetheless, Edgar, being the older brother that he was, was concerned for his sister. He didn't have any particular problems with Xeno and worked with him quite often in a variety of classes. But in terms of whether or not Xeno was a fit provider, Edgar just didn't see it. The blonde haired boy had no exceptional skills that Edgar was aware of, besides that of writing lengthy essays on obscure topics. Essays that he presented to Amelia to read and Edgar took this to be an odd form of flirtation.
So Edgar took it upon himself to play matchmaker. Someone intelligent, outgoing, friendly, brave. It had really come down to one person: Kingsley. He was everything that Amelia needed. Not to mention, it worked quite well in their circle of friends. Emmeline Vance, Amelia's best friend, had started dating Amos, Hufflepuff Quidditch Captain, at the end of the last school year. Edgar liked to think that this meant something symbolic.
But Amelia fought Edgar's attempts at every turn. When he tried to get her to go to Hogsmeade with Kingsley, she faked food poisoning. Each time he tried to ensure that she sat next to him at dinner, she made sure to arrive late or early and squeeze in next to other housemates. That's not to say that Amelia didn't like Kingsley. They generally got along and enjoyed each other's company. But he was Edgar's best friend, and Amelia just didn't think of him like that.
"Five minutes," Elliot said with a mock plea in his voice, "that's all I ask. Five minutes were the two of you are fighting or trading banter. It's a bit annoying, really."
It wasn't a secret that the two oldest Bones children were closer to each other than to their brother. Elliot always fell short relationship wise and though it wasn't intentional, it was just the way it was. The three of them never spoke it aloud, but it was known among them that Edgar and Amelia had more affection for the other then for their little brother.
"Oh stop it." Edgar said, ruffling the hair of his fifteen-year-old brother.
"What would you do without us?" Amelia said sweetly.
"Where do you want me to start?" Elliot asked seriously and Amelia shoved his shoulder lightly.
"Now what on earth could Elliot Bones have done to deserve that?" called the familiar voice of Cordelia Clearwater, Elliot's best friend of five years and girlfriend of one, and Elliot blushed at her comment.
Cordelia, who never went by anything but Delia, had been apart of the Bones' lives for what seemed like an eternity. The fifteen-year-old Ravenclaw had auburn hair and clear blue eyes and it wasn't hard to see why she and Elliot worked so well together. Elliot was easy going and did things the slow way. He took time to appreciate things. Delia was factual and logical and she observed most of what other people did not. They were good for each other. She was the oldest of three children and her parents had grown up with Mr. and Mrs. Bones. Their lives, it seemed, were all interlinked.
"Delia," Edgar said as she kissed Elliot on the cheek and embraced Amelia, "you haven't lived with him for fifteen years. You can stick up for him all you like once you've got some perspective."
"Oh, shut your face." Delia said playfully, hugging Edgar lightly.
Each time they came back to school, it was like a family reunion. Delia and Edgar's better half, Nathalia, were already part of the family. They didn't have rings to prove it yet but Amelia wagered that within five years both boys would be married with 2.5 children. It was a thought that she had to roll her eyes at.
"Yeah, yeah." Edgar said, pulling back from Delia, scanning the crowd behind her. "Say, you haven't seen Nathalia, have you?" he asked hopefully.
It was almost like it was planned. Nathalia tapped Edgar on the shoulder from behind, and just as quickly as he saw her, he was holding her. While Amelia never found his brother's relationship especially romantic, there was a certain way that they looked at each other and more often then not, Amelia chose to tear her eyes away from private moments like this.
"Looks like just about everyone is here." Elliot observed curiously.
"We ought to club him for that, don't you reckon, King?" the voice of Amos Diggory declared.
"I don't know about that." The booming voice of Kingsley reasoned. "We might be exempt from Quidditch if we do."
"If I hear another word about Quidditch before we set foot in that school …" Amelia trailed off.
"Good to see you, too, Lia." Amos grinned hugging her stiff and irritated frame.
"Don't mind her, Diggs." Edgar said with a wave of his hand and his greeted his best friends.
"She's been in a foul mood all morning." Elliot added and Cordelia elbowed him as if to chastise him.
"She probably just needs to see Emmeline. Then she'll cheer up." Nathalia said of the two best friends.
"Excuse me." Amelia said, grinning with wide eyes. "I'm right here and most certainly not a pronoun."
The only members of the squad missing where Emmeline and Xeno, though it was a safe best that they wouldn't see Xeno until he hurried at the last minute to get on the train as it was pulling away. Most of them greeted the two Quidditch Captains respectively.
"Lia." Edgar said to his sister, his light blue eyes twinkling. "Aren't you going to say hello to Kingsley?"
This was exactly what Edgar was good at. Pinpointing things he liked to see happen. Amelia wouldn't put it past him for envisioning a romantic feet-off-the-ground embrace between the two. She scrunched her face up at Edgar and turned to Kingsley with a brighter then usual face.
"Hello, Kingsley. It's so good to see you again." She said as if forcefully. "It's only been four days since the last time I saw you and already you're looking older. Where does the time go?" she said dryly.
"Hey, Lia." Kingsley said, rolling his eyes at the exchange between brother and sister.
While Amelia was constantly fighting Edgar's attempts at setting her up with the Gryffindor, Kingsley didn't mind so much. He had a lot of girlfriends in the past but no one made him laugh quite like his best mate's little sister. She was quirky and did things the hard way, a trait that he found quite admirable. He never paid much attention to her until she turned fourteen. The expression 'had grown up over the summer' was appropriate but didn't do her justice. She was no longer sharp and angular but curvy and soft. Her face had the appearance of a woman instead of a girl. And her eyes. He had noticed their unusual color before but now he couldn't stop noticing them. Despite his sudden attraction to Amelia, he hadn't made any sudden moves but he had planned on it.
Before the Bones left for France, Kingsley had spent almost all of his time at their house under the impression that he was there to see Edgar. In reality, he had been trying to get up the nerve to ask Amelia to do something, anything with him just so they could be alone. But she was confident and that was intimidating – and appealing – so he waited. It was this year, he decided, that he would try and get her alone. As Head Boy this year – and that had been one of Edgar's selling points – he would have to ride in a compartment with the Prefects, which Amelia was one of. He only hoped that they would be seated together.
"Look," Edgar said, indicating the girl with soft chestnut locks who made her way toward them at a bit of a run.
Emmeline Vance was smaller than Amelia but her energy and optimism made her that much taller. The two girls hadn't seen each other since the Marchbanks' Summer Solstice at the end of July as after the party, Amelia and her family left for France. But even a day apart was enough to drive the two girls mad.
"Emmeline!" Amelia grinned embracing the girl as they wobbled side to side in a hug.
"Just like a bad penny I'm not that easy to get rid of!" Emmeline teased, her grin a mile long.
"You have no idea how much I've missed you!" Amelia stressed, pulling back to get a good look at her friend.
"I think I can imagine. Have you been in sheer agony?" Emmeline said, throwing her hand against her forehead.
"Oh, it's been worse then that." Amelia nodded. "I've haven't been able to eat or sleep. Why, it's a wonder that I haven't lost the ability to speak."
"And wouldn't that be a shame." Edgar muttered when Amelia glared at him.
"I've missed you two." The Ravenclaw said to the brother and sister.
"And not me?" Amos said, pulling Emmeline toward him.
Amelia and the rest of the group directed their attention elsewhere while the four months strong couple shared a private moment. Sometimes, Amelia thought it would be best to give in to Edgar's wishes. Everyone else in the group had paired off with the exception of herself and Kingsley. It made sense. Just the same, while Amelia knew nothing about love or hearts skipping beats, but she was pretty sure that when she looked at Kingsley she shouldn't immediately think, 'Gee, his hair is large.'
"Alright, alright." Edgar said putting one arm around Amos' neck and the other around Kingsley's. "Men, we have loads to discuss. The upcoming season is crucial and I want to make sure that you're prepared for the loss of the House Cup. Quidditch isn't just fun and games anymore. It's blood, sweat and tears and I'll be damned-"
"ENOUGH!" Amelia yelled at Edgar. "I am going to break your broom in half if you say another word about that god-awful sport." She said tersely.
"Thalia," Edgar said to the blue-eyed beauty, "I'll catch up with you on the train. Some people don't appreciate the passions of their loved ones." Edgar said, throwing his head up in the air, pulling the two boys with him.
"It's an obsession!" Amelia called after them. "Em, I think my head might explode." She said, resting her head on Emmeline's shoulder.
"There, there." Emmeline grinned, patting Amelia's head softly.
"Right, well," Elliot said, "We're going to grab a compartment. We'll see you guys later on." As he departed, Cordelia and Nathalia followed, leaving the two girls to themselves among the crowd of people.
"Alright," Amelia said, turning to Emmeline after making sure they were alone, a devilish smile on her lips. "You have to tell me all about your summer with Famous Amos." She grinned.
"Lia," Emmeline said with a roll of her eyes. "You know I hate it when you call him that. And what summer are you talking about? He was at Quidd-" Emmeline started but Amelia cupped her hand over the girl's mouth.
"Please refrain from saying that word." Amelia pleaded.
"Okay, okay." Emmeline said, pulling her mouth away from Amelia's hand.
"Come on, Em. You must have spent some time together before he left." Amelia urged.
"Some is too optimistic." The girl said shaking her head. "We went to the Three Broomsticks once or twice and had lunch in London. But that was really it." She said shyly.
"Tell me," Amelia said biting her lip mischievously. "Was it famous?"
Laughing, Emmeline lightly shoved her friend. Amelia had been ecstatic when Amos and Emmeline started dating, perhaps more then the actual couple. She longed to see her friend happy and Amos seemed to make her so. The only problem was that Amos loved Quidditch more than almost anything else so he really had to put forth effort to see Emmeline. But it was evident that he really cared about her; any girl that could get Amos Diggory to spend an entire day without touching a broomstick had to be something special.
"Okay," Amelia sighed holding her hands up in surrender, "I promise, no more Amos jokes."
"Thank you." Emmeline nodded.
"It's a good thing that Shacklebolt doesn't rhyme with anything." Amelia said too quickly without thinking and Emmeline's chocolate brown eyed got wide.
"Amelia Susan Bones!" she grinned. "What are you not telling me? I knew that Kingsley was spending all of that time at your house for some reason! I just knew it. What happ-"
"Slow down, Vance." Amelia broke in, laughing. "Nothing happened – at all. I think all of Edgar's wishful thinking has severely damaged my cerebrum."
"So …" Emmeline trailed off, waiting for an additional response.
"So nothing. There is no immediate future for myself and Kingsley, I promise." Amelia said with a nod.
"Shucks." Emmeline frowned. "I was hoping that you, Nathalia and myself could all compare stories about dating a coveted Captain." She teased.
"Invite Narcissa Black to join us and you can count me in." Amelia said with a mock interest tone.
"Why on Earth are you talking about her?" the lithe and airy voice of Xenophilius Lovegood echoed from behind them.
At the same time, Amelia and Emmeline embraced their six foot tall friend with cheers of 'Xeno! We missed you!' Xeno, who squeezed the two girls tightly, had been away for the better half of the summer holiday in South America studying various types of Snarchems. His passion for strange creatures was undeniable.
"So," he started, shaking his mop of blonde hair out of crystal blue eyes, "why are we talking about Narcissa Black?"
"We were just discussing the possibility of inviting her to a Girlfriends Of The Captains get together." Emmeline stated matter of factly as Amelia gave her a burning look.
"Really?" Xeno said, nodding. "So that would mean Nathalia, you," he directed toward Emmeline, "Narcissa and … Who's King with?"
Emmeline turned from Xeno to Amelia triumphantly and the navy-eyed sixteen year old pursed her lips into a tight line.
"Ah." Xeno said. "I guess all of Edgar's pushing has finally paid off." He stated with a small nod.
"Oh, no." Amelia said shaking her head quickly. "No, not at all. Kingsley and I are just friends. Barely." She added for effect.
"Give it some time, Bones." Emmeline grinned. "You'll be all over him before the year is out."
"Xeno." Amelia said turning to the boy. "Would it be completely horrible if I jinxed her into submission?"
"As a Prefect, I'd say that would be setting a bad example." Xeno replied with a quiet grin.
"And you wouldn't want to do that." came the loving voice of Mrs. Bones
Much like her daughter, Adelina Bones stood very straight and very poised. For ages, all Bones' women had been schooled in music and the last few generations had been skilled pianists. Therefore, Amelia and her mother had immaculate posture. Unlike her daughter, however, Adelina Bones was nearly five foot eleven, almost as tall as her husband. This fact, however, did not stray from her motherly nature, not only from her own children, but Xeno and especially Emmeline as well.
"Hello, Emmeline, Xeno." Mrs. Bones said, nodding toward Xeno as she enveloped her second daughter in a comforting embrace.
"Hey Mrs. B." Xeno said.
"Hello, Mrs. Bones." Emmeline said, pulling away. "How are you?"
"I'm well, thank you." Mrs. Bones said with a nod. "And you?"
"Alright, I suppose." Emmeline said with a slight smile.
"How is your mother?" Mrs. Bones inquired with a quite curiosity that only Amelia and Emmeline picked up on.
"She's better. A bit tired, but well enough."
"I've been meaning to owl her but the timing was never right. I didn't want the message to be intercepted," she said in a voice loud enough for only the two girls to hear. Xeno, who was oblivious to the subtle hints that the women seemed to be eyeing each other with, had directed his attention to the book he had tucked under his arm and he begun flipping through the pages. "But Amelia and myself wanted to extend the invitation to you and your mother to come stay with us over the winter holidays."
"Thank you, Mrs. Bones, but I wouldn't want to impose-"
"Really, Em." Amelia said, "We have too much room as it is."
"It's the least we can do," Mrs. Bones continued. "Besides, it will be good to see your mother again."
"I'll .. I'll let her know." Emmeline nodded.
"To right you will." Mrs. Bones said knowingly.
A secret was shared between Amelia, Emmeline and Mrs. Bones, perhaps one of the best kept in the Wizarding World.
Alexander Vance was a great Auror. He had helped to capture some of the most dangerous wizards and with the upcoming turmoil with a certain dark wizard, he was one of the most prized workers. He was an amazing man when he was sober. He loved his family, but he loved firewhiskey more and two of seven nights a week, it got the better of him. Most of his drunken anger was taken out on fine china and household objects, at least, up until one year ago.
Amelia has suspected that things in the Vance household weren't quite right. Emmeline frequently wrote home and often cried in her sleep during their fifth year, calling her mother's name. It was when Amelia found Emmeline huddled in the owlery, clutching her mother's letter, sobbing that she finally forced her friend to tell her the truth. Alexander Vance had been targeting his wife, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Abuse was not exempt from the Wizarding World. Amelia told her mother shortly thereafter even though Emmeline begged her not to, but Amelia prided herself on honesty, even in the most direr of situations. Mrs. Bones was deeply upset with the news, but waited before telling her husband and advised the two girls to keep the information between them.
At the Marchbanks annual Summer Solstice, Alexander Vance arrived with his wife, Elizabeth and daughter, Emmeline. However, only if looking for it did one notice the faint circles under Elizabeth's eyes, the remnants of a bruise on her cheek she had forgotten to hide, the slight limp in her step and the wince as she took it. Amelia and her mother later found out that Mr. Vance forbade his wife from using magic after one of their bouts. Amelia mulled over the thought that he, in a sick state of mind, wanted to display his work.
Mrs. Bones had decided right then and there that Elizabeth and Emmeline needed help but Elizabeth had outright refused to leave the man she loved. Because Emmeline would not leave her mother by herself at the hands of her father, the Bones women found themselves watching a vicious cycle. The timing was terrible; almost directly after the Solstice, the Bones made their trip to France. Mrs. Bones decided that both Emmeline and her mother would spend the holiday with her family, whether they liked it or not.
Neither Emmeline nor Elizabeth could admit that they man they knew five years ago had turned into a monster. It was when Emmeline spoke of her father's achievements that Amelia wondered is she realized who he really was. Emmeline was, of course, secretive about her family and the only person she sought to confide in was Amelia. Not even Edgar or Elliot knew of her circumstance, and especially not Amos. Emmeline had made of a point of avoiding all conversation about her father with him.
"We'd be much obliged." Emmeline said with a genuine smile.
"Good." Mrs. Bones said happily. "And Xeno." She said, tearing the boy away from his reading material. "You and your family are welcome to come stay with us as well."
"Thanks Mrs. B, but we're heading to Russia right after the holiday break starts. It's the only time of year when you can properly observe the mating rituals of vertcouchers." He said pointedly.
"I see." Mrs. Bones said with a quizzical look before bidding farewell to the children and making her way back to her husband.
"Mating rituals?" Emmeline posed as soon as Mrs. Bones walked away. "Hey, Lia-"
"Don't you dare." Amelia said, shaking her head with a grin.
"Just a suggestion." Emmeline shrugged.
"OY!" Edgar called to the three Ravenclaws. "You'd all better get a move on. The train is about to pull out of the station. Lia, you can stay behind if you'd like. I think it'd make our lives all a little less hectic."
Amelia rolled her eyes at her brother's sarcasm and headed toward the train with Emmeline and Xeno. Because Amelia, Edgar, Nathalia, Cordelia and Elliot were Prefects, they'd have to sit with the other title holders of their appointed years which left Emmeline and Xeno in a compartment by themselves. It wouldn't be such a long ride for Edgar and Elliot as they had someone to talk to. While Amelia got along with Benjy Fenwick and Hufflepuff Prefects Caradoc Dearborn and Charlotte Hutchinson, she wasn't the best of friends with any of them. She had known them all since her entrance at Hogwarts and Benjy was, of course, a member of her own house. Caradoc was someone that she enjoyed the company of and had at one point in time been close with. She assumed that it was going to be a long ride.
Upon entering the sixth year Prefect compartment, Amelia scanned the representative from each house. From Ravenclaw, herself and Benjy. From Hufflepuff, Caradoc and Charlotte. From Gryffindor, Dedalus Diggle and Hestia Jones. And from Slytherin, Walden MacNair and Alecto Carrow. The Slytherins sat on the right side of the compartment closest to the window and Alecto seemed to be pulling her hangnails out while Walden raised an eyebrow at her actions. Beside them Hestia and Dedalus were arguing over various Quidditch players. On the left closest to the door, Charlotte was immersed in a muggle novel and Caradoc seemed to be asleep. Beside him, Benjy was getting a jump on the Charms material for the upcoming year. Taking a seat beside him and across from Alecto, Amelia leaned her head against the window and closed her eyes as the train jerked out of the station.
All I Have - The Rocket Summer
On The Ride - Aly and AJ
DARE - The Higher