Disclaimer: I.D.I.O.T. - I Don't Own It … Today.

A/N: This chapter is for ProperT, who has not only been with this story since the first few chapters of 'Family Ties', but was also my 50th reviewer! Hope you like this one.

I actually got the idea for this chapter from 'Ms. Anna', so props to her for giving me a good idea! This chapter is dedicated to her!

Chapter Nine: Sibling Rivalry Takes on a Whole New Meaning

Ron's POV

There are only two weeks left of summer vacation. The kids' Hogwarts letters arrived yesterday, so we're going to Diagon Alley today. Aria's birthday is the day after tomorrow. We still haven't gone to the house. I've been putting it off. But I know we're going to have to do it eventually. I'll have to write to Eva to see what she's doing next week.

I'm sitting in the living room, pretty much staring into empty space, when Aria practically skips into the room and plops down beside me. She smiles at me toothily, and I feel myself smiling back automatically.

"What's up?" I ask, deciding I can always put my blank staring off until later. She shrugs, still grinning.

"I dunno. I'm just excited."

"About what?" I ask her, chuckling slightly. Her mood is infectious.

"Well, my birthday's in two days, and school starts again in a couple weeks. I can't wait to get back and see everyone," she says.

"Aw, you're not gonna miss your old man?" I ask her, wrapping my arm around her and hugging her slightly. She laughs.

"Maybe a little," she says with a smile. I look at her, and in that moment, she looks more like her mother than ever. I feel my smile waver slightly as the memory of the last time I'd smiled with Hermione – really smiled, without the awkwardness – comes back to me.

"I love you," I whispered, hugging her to my side and kissing her cheek. She smiled up at me, her eyes sparkling.

"I love you too," she replied, wrapping her arms around me and hugging me back. I held her a moment longer than the normal hug permitted, and she rested her head against my chest.

"The war's over," I whispered. "It's finally over."

"I know. It's almost hard to believe You-Know-Who is finally gone. For good. I half expect him to just pop up somewhere unexpectedly," she said, laughing. I laughed as well.

"Oh, is that why you're still not saying his name?" I asked, grinning at her teasingly.

"It's just become habit," she answered simply. "I have no problem with calling him Voldemort." She didn't think I noticed, but she glanced around quickly as she said it, as if expecting him to suddenly come out of the shadows and grab her. I felt her hug me slightly tighter, and I smiled. In that moment, I decided I wanted to spend the rest of my life with this woman.

"Helloooooo?" Aria is waving her hand in front of my face, looking concerned. "Are you okay?" she asks, peering into my face. I smile at her quickly.

"Sorry," I tell her. "Just got caught up in a memory for a moment." Her smile disappears. It's so hard to fool her.

"About Mum?" she asks stonily. I fight the urge to sigh.

"Yes. About your mum."

She nods. "Oh."

"Hey," I say, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear. She looks up at me. "I'm sorry."

She smiles slightly. "It's alright," she says with a real smile this time. "I get it."

I smile back at her, loving her more and more every second I spend with her. Eva was right about one thing: this girl can definitely worm her way into one's heart.

"So, are you ready for Diagon Alley later?" I ask. She nods eagerly.

"Yeah! I need new robes though. And our Potions teacher wants a bunch of new ingredients for this year. Not to mention I have about a hundred book I have to get..." she trails off with and exasperated sigh. I resist the urge to laugh.

"Anyway. How about if you go find the boys, and I'll see if I can get Keira, Abby, and Henry ready to go," I suggest. She nods and jumps up.

"Okay. Be right back!" And then she runs up the stairs and disappears.

Jake's POV

It's great to have Aria back. The real Aria – not moody, depressed Aria. Yesterday, she kicked my butt in chess, and laughed about it. Actually laughed. I've missed hearing her laugh.

Sean and I are sitting in the middle of the upstairs landing when Aria appears at the head of the steps, a grin on her face. I nudge Sean, and he looks up at her.

"Hey, Aria. What's up?"

"Dad wanted me to come get you guys. We're leaving for Diagon Alley soon," she says with a smile. "I'm just going to change really quick. Meet you guys downstairs!"

I glance at Sean. I don't think he's taking very well to this new and improved Aria. First of all, he's not exactly used to sharing Ron. I mean, sure, there's Henry and Abby, but they're little. They get different attention than Sean or I. And Ron's never exactly lavished me with love or anything – he's not my father. I get that. It's never bothered me.

But Sean? Sean's never had to share his dad with someone else his own age. I think it's finally starting to sink in that Aria is more than just another friend – she's also his sister.

"Shall we?" I ask, raising my eyebrows at him. He sighs.

"Yeah, whatever."

"What's your problem?" I ask him as we walk down the stairs. "You seem different."

"Aria's my problem!" he snarls, finally breaking. "She's always hanging off Dad and smiling at him all adoringly. It's disgusting. And she always convinces him to do what she wants. Forget the fact that he promised to play Quidditch with me this morning! Aria needs him! Aria is still healing! Poor Aria's mum is dead!" he exclaims angrily, throwing his hands into the air. I stare at him. And then I stare past him. At Aria. Standing behind him.

"Um… Sean?" I say, seeing her shocked expression.

"No! I don't care! Go ahead! Defend your precious little girlfriend! You'd rather be with her as well! The whole damn family prefers perfect Aria! I might as well just not even be here! Even Mum spends more time with her than with me!"

"Sean…" I try again, watching as Aria slowly descends the last few steps, still looking shocked.

"I don't want to hear it, Jake! You know it's true! Abby and Henry absolutely adore her! Mum's glad she finally has a girl to talk about girly crap with. You can never take your eyes off her! And Dad!" He shakes his head, his eyes clouding over – with tears or anger, I can't tell. Maybe both. "If you ask me, Dad doesn't even know I exist," he whispers, finally looking down.

"Sean?" I try once more.

"Forget it, Jake. You know what? I wish Aria and you had never met," he says, and he's absolutely dead serious.

I glance at Aria again. Her eyes are filled with tears. She shakes her head at me and slips into the next room. Sean doesn't even notice.

"I think I hate her," he whispers, his eyes fixed on me. I've never seen him so angry before.

"Well," I sigh. "She probably really hates you right about now too." I spot Aria watching us from the kitchen. Sean whips around, his face adopting a look of shock.

"Aria," he breathes. She just stares at him coldly.

"Well, now I know how you really feel," she says, and her voice is shaky. Sean glances at me, his eyes pleading for my help. I glare at him.

"Hey kids!" Ron says, appearing at the front door. We all turn to look at him. His smile vanishes when he sees our expressions.

"Is everything alright?" he asks, glancing back and forth between us with concerned looks.

"Oh, yes," Aria spits angrily, still glaring at Sean. "Everything is just wonderful!" With that, she strides past him and out the front door. I bite my lip. Who to choose, who to choose?

"Sean?" Ron asks, coming forward. "Jake? What was that about?"

"Like you even care," Sean snarls. "Why don't you go ask your precious daughter?" Ron looks as if he's been slapped.

"Sean, is that what this is?" he asks, coming forward. I debate on whether or not I should leave.

"It doesn't even matter," mutters Sean. "You don't care."

"What on earth…? Is that what you think? That I don't care about you?"

"Why should you? You're not my father," he sneers, pushing past him and slamming the front door behind him. Double slap.

Keira's POV

Ron is oddly quiet as we drive toward London. Which reminds me. Why are we driving there? Anyway. He looks … haunted is the only word that really fits actually. And the kids – Aria, Jake, and Sean, are absolutely silent. Not a peep from any of them. Abby, who's sitting between Jake and Aria, and Henry, who is sitting between Jake and Sean, on the other hand, are chatting up a storm back there. They never stop.

"Ron?" I say softly. He glances at me and shakes his head.

"Not now, Keira," he says. I notice him glance in the rearview mirror, looking at Sean, who's staring out the window with an unreadable expression on his face.

The rest of the drive is spent in uncomfortable silence after the little kids fall asleep. Finally, we arrive. The kids jump out of the car so fast they might as well have Apparated out. I look at Ron.

"We'll talk later," he says stonily. "I'll go park the car and meet up with you all later," he adds as I get out. I nod at him and he drives off to find a parking spot.

Ron's POV

As I walk slowly back toward the Leaky Cauldron, I think about what Sean said to me. What was that about? He and Aria have always gotten along perfectly before now. Why the sudden change?

In the back of my mind, I think I know. I think it started when Aria started calling me 'Dad'. I don't know why that would bother him. I'm still his dad. I mean… he's my son. I love him. What more is there to understand? Apparently, a lot more.

Aria's POV

I still can't believe he said that. I thought we were getting along great. I mean, yeah, he seemed a little unnerved at first about the whole 'dad' thing, but I didn't know it was a problem. He's my dad too!

Jake's POV

Aria hasn't said a word since we left. She keeps glancing at Sean with a really angry expression on her face. Wish I knew what she was thinking. Then again, I can almost imagine the thoughts going through her head. I almost laugh aloud as I imagine a little conga line up there, singing: He's an ass, he's an ass, he's a big fat ass, he's an ass, he's an ass, he's an aaaass… I snort, and everyone turns to look at me.

"Sorry," I mumble. "Some little kid tripped over his own feet back there. Hilarious."

Sean's POV

I still don't regret what I said. I really might just hate her.

Ron's POV

I wonder how Aria would react if I took her to her mum's house today. Probably not so well. And Sean … ugh. Sean would get even worse.

I catch up with them at Flourish and Blotts, where I find Aria and Sean in a full-fledged war over a copy of 'Standard Book of Spells: Grade Two'. What is going on here?

"What is going on here?" I demand, taking the book away from both of them. They point at each other.

"He/She started it!" they shout. Oh my. Scary how much like siblings they really are.

"I don't really care," I say, picking up another copy of the same book and handing one to each of them. "Stop fighting."

They both glare at me and disappear amongst the shelves to find their other books. I look at Jake, who rolls his eyes before following them. Keira shakes her head at me in despair.

"Oh my. Just wait until their teenagers," she sighs, rubbing her temples. I look down at Abby and scoop her up. Then I pick up Henry in the other arm.

"At least two of our children are still innocent little angels," I say, smiling at them. Abby grins and plants a kiss on my cheek.

"Love you, Daddy," she says. I kiss her back.

"Love you more, Pumpkin." Henry reaches out for Keira, not happy with this lack of attention.

"What is wrong with them?" Keira hisses as Aria and Sean come stomping back up to the counter with an exasperated-looking Jake trailing behind. I almost laugh at this. This looks exactly like the fights Hermione, Harry, and I would get into when we were in school.

"It's complicated," I reply, setting Abby down and receiving an armful of spell books to pay for. Great. Just grand.

We pay for the books and head down the street to Madame Malkin's robe shop, which is actually now run by one of Ginny's friends. I can never remember her name. Elsie… Emma… Emily…

"Becka!" Keira exclaims upon seeing her. Becka! That was it. Where did I get Emma from?

"Oh my. Three this time? Where do these extra children keep popping up from?" Becka exclaims, taking notice of Aria right away. Sean rolls his eyes, and Aria smiles shyly.

"This is Aria," I say, introducing her. "Aria, this is Becka. She's a good friend of Ginny's." Becka smiles at her. She casts me a questioning look.

I shake my head to get across the message that we're not going to talk about this now. She nods.

"Well! We have three kids who need new robes! Come, come! Let's go!" She leads them into the back, and sets them all up on stools.

"Okay! Hold still now! Don't want to stick you with a pin! Nasty business really," she says with a smile as she fits Aria's robes. Aria smiles somewhat uneasily at that. I almost laugh.

Becka is quick and precise about her measuring, and has Aria's robes done in a fraction of the time it would have taken old Madame Malkin.

"There you go," she says only five minutes later, handing Aria a wrapped package.

Twenty minutes later, we're walking out of the shop and toward the Apothecary. The kids don't speak to each other as we go in, and they don't even look at each other as I pay for three brand new sets of new ingredients for that damn Potions Master who wants such expensive supplies.

I can't stand this. These three are supposed to be best friends! Sighing, I suggest we go to Florean's for ice cream.

"Not hungry," answers Sean.

"Well I am," counters Aria.

"Yeah, well then why don't you go by yourself?" Sean snarls.

"Why don't you just get over yourself?" Aria growls. I roll my eyes.

"Kids! Let's go get ice cream. Abby and Henry want some, don't you?" I ask them. They both nod eagerly. Thank goodness.

"Fine," mutters Sean. "Let's go then."

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Finally, after three more painstakingly long hours of this insaneness, we're ready to go home. I'm so sick of Aria and Sean casting each other death wish glares that I might just ground them both and send them to their rooms.

The ride home is even worse than the ride there because every now and then Sean and Aria look at each other and whisper something that would probably make my hair curl. I still can't figure out where a couple of twelve-year-olds learned such foul language. Probably at school.

By the time we get home, get all the stuff we bought into the house, and get Abby and Henry changed out of their sticky clothes (they went a little overboard on the ice cream), I'm about ready to fall over from exhaustion. I sit down at the kitchen table, and I see there's a letter there, waiting for me. Curious, I pick it up.

I open it slowly, and pull out a single sheet of parchment with unfamiliar handwriting on it.

Dear Ron,

It's Eva. I'm getting off of work at five, and I'm going over to Hermione's house to take care of the cat and see if any more bills have arrived. If you want to, you and Aria can meet me there around five thirty. If you don't show up, I understand completely. We can do it another time. I have to get back to work now, but I just wanted to let you know that I'll be there if you want to come.

Sincerely,

Eva Jorgansin

I look at my watch. Twenty minutes after five. Wow. It's been a long day.

"Hey," I hear from behind me. I turn around to see Aria standing there, smiling uncertainly. I smile back.

"Hi there. Come here," I say. She does so and takes a seat beside me. She looks at the letter in my hand curiously.

"It's from Eva," I tell her, setting it aside. She nods.

"Look, Aria… I know you probably won't want to do this, but Eva is going over to your mum's house today – she's been taking care of things there, you know – and she asked us to come as well. The thing is … eventually you're going to have to figure out what you want from that house. Anything you don't want, Eva said she'd try to sell for you. And I know it's going to be hard, but you have to do this. If you don't want to do it today, I understand. We can go another time. But I want you to think about it, alright?" I say, looking at her carefully. She looks up at me.

"I'm scared," she whispers at last, which sort of throws me.

"Why?" I ask.

"I – I don't know. I just am. I'm scared to go back there. But … I suppose … we can go tonight if you want to," she murmurs, looking away. I smile at her slightly.

"Eva wants to meet us there at five thirty. Are you ready to go?" I ask her. She glances at me and nods.

"Okay. Let's go then."

A/N: Ack. I know. I lied. I was going to have Aria going to her old house in this one, but I didn't want to make it insanely long, because that's just … insane. Besides, this chapter was so hard to write that I couldn't drag it on any longer. I'll try to have the next chapter up soon, and I'm sorry for not sticking with my plan! Please review anyway!