Chapter 23: Teenage Drama

When our little Faith began to grow hair, it was as black as mine. A few weeks after her birth, her once blue eyes turned brown. In short, Faith looked like a miniature version of me. By July, 2016, she was a healthy eight-month-old. The healers told us Faith would always be smaller than most children her age, and she would have severe asthma for the rest of her life. Also, Faith probably wouldn't live to one-hundred and twenty, as many witches and wizards lived to nowadays. She would most likely have more of a muggle lifespan, which was better than nothing.

Jason and I asked Minerva to be Faith's godmother. She may have been eighty years old, but she was still in good health. Since she had retired, she admitted that she had been feeling bored. She needed something to do, so she eagerly accepted Jason's and my request. After I went back to work in February, I took Faith to Minerva cottage - which was about two miles away from Hogwarts - everyday, and we paid her to do daycare for us. Minerva loved Faith like a granddaughter she would never have.

One day in July, Nick came home from a party at Michael Wood's house in an extremely good mood. Teddy, Michael, and the Muellenton twins, a large percentage of Nick's closest friends, all graduated the year before, so seventh year Nick, and sixth years Victoire and Jenna Jacobs, were the only students remaining from their tight-knitted group. The group of friends wanted to spend as much time as possible before Nick, Victoire, and Jenna returned to Hogwarts. Jason and I tried to get Nick to tell us why he was in such a good mood, but Nick just laughed and said, "It's a secret."

Nick loved his little sister, and was so protective of her. When he was home, Nick often insisted on feeding Faith her bottle, and played with her so that Jason and I could have some alone time. He later told Jason and me that he never thought he could love Faith after the condition she left me in after giving birth, but now he loves her more than anything.

A few days after the party, Nick came to breakfast a little quiet. Finally, he nervously spoke. "Mum, I wanted to tell that I finally asked the girl I've been crushing on since fifth-year out, and she said 'yes'. So, I was wondering if she could come for dinner on Friday night."

I stopped what I was doing to look at me son. I smiled. My son was in love. My little Nick. I struggled not to tear up. "Who is this girl?" I asked curiously.

Nick blushed. "Um… you'll see when she gets here." Nick said quickly. "So, can she come to dinner?"

I looked at Jason, who was sitting at the kitchen table, reading the Daily Prophet. "I don't see a problem with it, do you, Jay?"

Jason looked up from his paper and smiled. "Of course I don't see a problem. We are the Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster, after all. Who's going to yell at us for having a non-residential student in the castle when school's not in session, the Ministry of Magic? I doubt Kingsley Shaklebolt will care."

Nick jumped up from his chair and nearly knocking it over, making Faith giggle. "Thanks Mum, Thanks Dad. I'll go send her an owl!" Nick ran off to his room and flung the door shut behind him.

That Friday, Nick excitedly used floo powder to get to his unknown girlfriend's house to pick her up. About ten minutes after he left, there was a knock on the door. With Faith cradled in one arm, I went to open it. Nick and his girlfriend were standing outside. Nick wore a very excited expression on his face while the girl looked sort of nervous. To my surprise, the girl was Jenna Jacobs, one of Nick's best friends.

"Jenna!" I exclaimed, giving her a one-armed hug. "How wonderful it is to see you standing out here rather than someone else. Please, come in."

Jason was just as delighted as I was to discover Jenna was Nick's girlfriend. During dinner, we got to know her better. By the end of the evening, I could see her and Nick's relationship being the kind that lasted.

When Nick received his seventh-year supply list a few weeks later, I couldn't help but notice the look of disappointment on his face.

"Is something wrong, Nick?" I asked.

"No." He muttered.

I wasn't convinced. "Are you sure? You can tell me."

Nick glared at me. "Fine, if you really want to know, I just don't understand why I wasn't made prefect or Headboy."

"Nick…"

"Stop it!" Nick snapped. "I don't want excuses. I worked my tail off trying to prove to you that I would make a good Headboy, but it still didn't pay off. Ever since Teddy became prefect in fifth-year, I wanted to be one too, but Dad chose someone else. Now that you are Headmistress, I thought for sure I was going to be made Headboy, but I'm not. Why couldn't you have given me a chance?"

I sighed. "Jason and I would have loved to make you prefect and Headboy, but as your parents, we didn't think it would be fair to the other students if we did." I said softly.

"But it's not fair to me!" Nick exclaimed. "Is that your only reason for not making me a prefect? Are you going to do this to Faith as well, when she's older? I didn't choose to be bitten by a werewolf. I didn't choose to be the son of the Headmistress and Deputy Headmaster. It just happened."

Jason slammed his glass of butterbeer on the table and flew from his chair. "Now listen here, Nicholas! Your biological mother would have abandoned you at the hospital if your true mother wasn't there to take you in. Who knows what may have happened to you then. You should be thankful!"

"I am thankful!" Nick bellowed. "But sometimes I wish you were my biological parents who worked simple jobs in the Ministry of Magic. I wish Faith had been born thirteen years earlier, and I wish our family was normal!"

Frightened by all the yelling, Faith, who was sitting in her highchair, began to wail. Both Jason's and Nick's eyes softened, feeling horrible that they had made the little girl they loved so much cry. "See what the two of you have done!" I snarled as I scooped up my daughter and carried her into my bedroom, slamming the door behind me.

"Shh…" I soothed. "It's alright… Daddy and Nick are just having a little argument."

After awhile, Faith fell asleep. Everything was quiet outside the bedroom, so I slowly opened the door, went into Faith's room, and gently laid her in her crib. When I came back out, Jason was sitting at his place at the table again, and Nick was dishing up the chili that I had abandoned on the stove.

"I'm sorry, Mum." Nick said softly. "I overreacted. And I really am grateful you took me in when my birth mum refused to."

"I know you are." I whispered. After all, I was sure that argument was just typical teenage drama, and I would try to think about how Nick would feel more in the future.