A/N: WARNING: Now I start to be mean to my babies, I am such a cruel mother (excuse my sappiness, I'm a complete cynic but I do get attached to my characters.)
The Meaning of Home and One Very Shallow Bitch.
Ruby awoke to James sleeping beside her and smiled, it instantly felt like Christmas. On the twenty-six of December every year Ruby awoke – usually on the floor somewhere – right beside James. It was the best way to awaken.
It took a while for memories of the day before to sink in when Ruby was so comfortable and feeling so contented but come they did. Involuntarily Ruby's whole body tensed up in anger at her mother.
"Rubes? You okay?" James asked, voice sleepily. Ruby felt a tiny smile tug at her lips, just the fact that she was upset had woken him up.
"I'll be fine." Ruby assured James who smiled at her opening his eyes for a moment before drawing her closer to him, so close she could hear his heartbeat though his chest, closed his eyes and for all intents and purposes fell asleep.
Ruby had felt complete in herself when she came to England but James had been a piece she hadn't known she was missing. It wasn't anything sappy like "he completes me" or "he's my other half" it was more that he was one of the pieces that made her feel whole. Louis was another, and Marie' yet another.
Really all of her friends were – well her close ones – were pieces that made up Ruby Rose Jones.
Ruby lay by James for some time, thoughts wandering through the passageways of time, focusing particularly on memories made in England. However a moment of peace can only last so long when one has two older brothers.
"Oh Ru-by!"
Ruby rolled her eyes. Naturally Matt just had to wake her up.
"What?" She asked hearing the annoyance in her tone.
"Good morning sunshine!" Matt said pushing the door open in that falsely cheery voice which held undertones of true evil.
"Seriously what do you want?" Ruby asked when Matt just silently looked at her and James a smirk plastered to his face.
"Will and I want to talk to your boyfriend. Dad says he's given him the okay so we're not going to worry about approving him but we do want to have a little talk."
Ruby sighed in frustration. She did not want her brothers threatening James, because they would. It was their duty. Ruby herself had threatened Saia at a mere ten years of age when she had first started dating her brother seven years ago. Now it was their turn.
"Cut the crap Matt, you want to threaten him." Ruby said in a tight tone of voice. The one she used to boss around her father. Surprisingly Matt actually bowed a little to her authority – totally unintentionally of course.
"Just a little." He half pleaded half demanded – a strange and difficult feat.
Ruby glared.
"No fair you threatened Saia!" Matt complained loudly, loud enough to wake James.
"Whazgoingon?" He asked confusedly.
"Ruby won't let us threaten you!" Matt burst out
James blinked a little at Matt, shook his head and sat up.
"Come again?"
"Ruby won't let us do our duties as big brothers and threaten you! You know the stuff, if you ever hurt my sister you will die and so on." Matt repeated.
James frowned clearly at war with himself.
"Well – if it was Lily –"
"James you are not seriously agreeing to this are you?" Ruby asked in disbelief.
"It's the code Ruby. If Lily gets another boyfriend – which she will – then I'll threaten him and it would hypocritical to deny your brothers the pleasure –"
"Pleasure?" Ruby asked questioning the term feeling more and more sceptical by the minute.
"Oh you should have seen Connor he was practically peeing his pants." James laughed.
"James Sirius Potter you are not agreeing to this!" Ruby said in the commanding tone she had learnt to use last year. Being with James on a permanent basis meant that Ruby needed to find a way to make her authority clear, it had taken James a while but he had finally accepted his position as the submissive partner.
He just wasn't very good at it.
"Dude are you going to let her tell you what to do?" Will's voice asked. Ruby glanced up to see her other older brother looking at James inquisitively, Matt simply looked disbelieving but Ruby knew her oldest brother was testing James.
"Yes." James said without hesitation. "Sorry, I did what I could but what Ruby says, is in my world at least, law."
"Welcome to the family." Will said warmly reaching out to shake James' hand.
"Wait what?" Matt asked completely lost.
The other three just looked at him in amusement until Ruby said.
"Matt is what we li`ke to call a Louis." She said to James.
"Ah." James said nodding. "Makes sense." Then he went suddenly still for a moment, nose in to the air.
"YES! NADIA'S MAKING BACON!"
James got out of bed and started to sprint downstairs, Will and Matt closely following.
Boys. Ruby thought to herself shaking her head. They only think about food, Quiddich and sex.
Freddy sat at his kitchen table reading The Quibbler with interest. Luna Lovegood was a very good friend of his parents because she simply had millions of ideas many of which George found ways to make into products.
She was a good friend also with the Potters, the Longbottoms and the Thomas' and naturally many of the Weasley families – although none so much as George and Angelina.
Thinking of Luna brought up thoughts of the party at her house only a few weeks ago, a party he had gone to with Charlotte and then he was in full-scale daydream mode thinking about his pretty blonde-haired girlfriend.
It was because of his daydreams that Freddy didn't notice the spec getting larger and larger until the owl flew into the window and landed in front of him.
"Whoa!" Freddy exclaimed jumping back in shock. The owl looked at him contemptuously. He instantly recognised it as Charlotte's and smiling took the letter from its leg. As soon as the letter was removed Angel flew straight out the window, not even waiting for a reply.
That was odd.
With a shrug Freddy sat down to read the letter.
Freddy,
So I'm starting NEWTS this year and well you know I'm not that good at really any of my subjects. So I want to concentrate on school. You're a pretty good boyfriend I guess but I mean Louis is hotter and James buys way more stuff for Ruby and Chase had like that mysterious thing going on but you're just funny. So yeah I'm breaking up with you. I sort of need to you know focus, so a full –time boyfriend isn't really, well you know what I mean? Anyway it's part because of NEWTS and part because there's this hot guy in Italy that I want to hook up with oh and you know Nathan Ringdale? Yeah well I want to date him and Luke Fords as well so well yeah. But you can still send me presents and flowers and stuff if you want and we can, I don't know, maybe go to Hogsmeade a couple of times because I sort of like dating you and just because I don't want to be your girlfriend doesn't mean I don't want to like go on dates.
So bye I guess.
Charlotte.
Freddy stared down on what had to be the most insensitive breakup letter in history. He reread the shallow reasons she had broken up with him, the other guys she wanted to go out with, her admission to enjoying dating him and the suggestion that he still buy her flowers.
If he didn't feel so much like crying he would have laughed. How long had he waited to go out with her? She'd known he liked her and even Freddy could see on occasion she had played it, he should have realised it was all a game. Everything was a game to Charlotte Finnigan; it was something he liked about her, used to like.
Freddy knew he was one of the most laid-back people on this earth but that didn't make him miss the point that some things are serious. Not everything can be a joke.
"Not everything can be a joke." He voiced aloud throwing the letter down. There was no point in hiding it, his family needed to know, this was easier than telling them and right now Freddy needed to go for a walk.
Putting down the letter James sighed completely at a loss for what to do. What did you do when your mate's girlfriend broke up with him for no reason other than that she was a skanky, self-centred bimbo?
James knew how to pull a huge scale prank without any worries – although he did have to admit that Al and his mates were probably better – James knew how to look after Ruby. James could play any position in Quiddich; he understood Transfiguration, Defence Against the Dark Arts and Charms.
But he didn't understand people in general. He didn't understand why people did what they did or the logic they put to their decisions. But apparently that was hereditary because Hermione would go on and on to anyone who asked about Harry and Ron's total lack of empathy – especially Ron's.
James didn't understand Charlotte's choice and he could only perceive how Freddy must be feelings. He couldn't empathise with Freddy, because he only partially understood why Freddy was so depressed. Sure it was because his girlfriend broke up with him but there was something more and if you don't understand the reasoning behind a problem then how can you resolve it?
This was a problem for understanding, reliable Nate.
Nate,
I need you ASAP! It has to do with Freddy, Charlotte broke up with him, he's crushed and I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! HELP ME!
James
As Joey still hadn't returned from California with his letter to Marie, James had to once again rely on Rufus who Ruby had brought back with her. A quick whistle brought him soaring into James' room and within seconds Rufus was out the window flying towards Nate's house a suburb over. If that didn't work it would have to be the telephone – James for no particular reason hated the telephone but desperate times called for desperate measures.
He only hoped Nate would know what to do.
"You'd look fantastic in this!" Sarah exclaimed pulling out a black chiffon dress with a fantastic empire waistline. Sarah was Emile's wife, so Marie's sister-in-law as well as preferred shopping companion.
"Eet's nice, very nice." Marie' agreed, Sarah had excellent taste, but that was to be expected of a successful fashion designer.
"I'm so glad y'all decided to come visit!" Sarah gushed in her adorable accent as she continued to riffle through clothes.
"Trust me, eet was no sacrifice. We 'ate our parents." Marie' disagreed picking through leather handbags and wondering why anyone would want to dye perfectly good leather Barbie doll pink.
"You can't say that Marie'! That's terrible!" Sarah said in shock.
"Sarah my parents 'ave been married seven times ensuring zhat we not only 'ad to suffer through zheir first lot of screaming, throwing things at one and other and demanding we 'take a side'. I'm over eet, Emile's over eet. Even Christian and Aimee' are over eet– they're eleven. How many eleven-year-olds can say zheir parents have been divorced seven times?" Marie' argued heatedly.
"Seven times?" Sarah asked incredulously.
"'Asn't Emile told you this?" Marie' asked not really surprised.
"No, he doesn't ever talk about your parents. I don't even know their names – it can be awkward as they never introduce themselves either." Sarah said with a tense sort of smile.
"Georgette and Nicholas Jantour'. Didn't you ever wonder why we were all so far apart in age? I'm seventeen, Emile iz twenty-nine while the twins are just eleven. Eet's because of 'ow disjoined my parents marriage 'as been. Emile iz zhe first marriage. I'm zhe third, Christian and Aimee' are zhe fourth. Our parents are so wrapped up in zheir "romance" zhat zhey don't even know us."
"I'm sure y'all are just exaggerating. They're your parents. They have to love you." Sarah said looking very anxious.
"Christian and Aimee' used to call Emile 'Daddy'." Marie' said bluntly.
"That's unacceptable Marie', why don't you do something about it?"
"Eet's not the worst situation. Zhey don't care what money we use – we 'ave so much eet doesn't matter, grand-mère ensured zhat Emile didn't 'ave to much freedom and become spoilt. Ee did zhe same for me and I do zhe same for zhe twins." Marie' assured her trying to release some of Sarah's anxiety.
"Emile was good to you?" She asked worriedly.
"Ee practically raised zhe three of us if zhat iz what you were worried about." Marie' said feeling a grin spread across her face.
"It's just that well – I'm well –"
"Pregnant." Marie' finished for her.
"Well yes." Sarah said face flushed with happiness.
"Congratulations!" Marie' exclaimed hugging her sister tightly. "Zis iz wonderful!"
"Yes, yes it is isn't it?" Sarah agreed smiling brightly.
After another half hour or so of excited talk about the baby Sarah and Marie's conversation eventually returned to the topic they were originally discussing.
"So, Christian and Aimee' what's – what's happening with them? They're education.
I mean. If I had known I could have got them into Franklin Academy or if they'd been willing to separate Aimee' could have gone to Salem Witches College and Christian could have gone to the Tri-State Institute for Young Wizards –"
"I got zhem a place at 'Ogwarts." Marie' assured her.
"Oh – wow you think of everything don't you? That's awesome!" Sarah said in relief, Marie' knew Sarah's opinions on some of Beaubaxtons policies, although American Wizards were very different to European ones, they still accepted God as being the ultimate truth. Most European Wizards didn't even know what "God" was, Marie' only knew from her time spent at Arcada Academy in Canada.
"Zhey were 'appy when zhey got zheir letters." Marie' agreed which set Sarah off into a completely different branch of conversation but Marie' wasn't focusing on Sarah anymore, although she followed the conversation enough to contribute slightly to the conversation– enough that Sarah was satisfied to continue talking.
However Marie's thoughts were far from Sarah, they were on an entirely different continent with her friends in Britain. Wondering what they were doing, if Ruby had come home from the Caribbean yet, if they had gone to stay in muggle London like they'd all planned yet.
Marie's thoughts lingered on sunlit afternoons in the gardens of the manor eating ice-cream and joking around, freezing nights spent by the lake talking to Ruby, early morning walks with Nate, being chased through the castle by Freddy, wrestling James for the last of Elizabeth's double fudge biscuits. On staying up late gossiping with Abbey and Wendy, betting with Reid on who would get the highest mark in Charms, convincing Chase that Teresa Murdock was stalking him so that he jumped at loud noises, sitting in her immense wardrobe talking to Delilah or even just competing to get the most attractive date with Louis.
California had pretty boys and shopping by the bucket load but it didn't really compare to home.
Marie' blinked in surprise, she'd just used the word home. Never had she used that word before. Her parent's house was just a place she lived sometimes, as was Emile and Sarah's home, Beaubaxtons was hardly better with her dorm full of airheaded girls and Arcada was so far off and long ago that the idea of it being her home was ridiculous.
She'd found a home. It was such a nice word, home. Smiling Marie' followed Sarah as she led her towards a fireplace. Home. She had a home.