A/N: So, I've had the headcanon that the Johnson-Weasleys, the Woods, and the Jordans vacation together for one week every summer for a long time, and I've wanted to write a fic about Roxanne for a long time as well. And now here we are! First off, this fic is going to chronicle the time that Roxanne spends at the beach house over the years. It won't cover every summer, just the ones that I find important or have inspiration for. A theme I wanted to touch on was found family and how people who aren't your parents can help raise you and shape you, so be prepared for the parents to play a big role in this and make a lot of sarcastic comments (you can thank George Weasley).
Second, I don't have an update schedule for this fic. It will be updated as I get inspo. I'm planning to use it to take breaks from my longer works so updates will be sporadic to say the least. Every chapter is going to be a oneshot that can be read as a standalone. I'm also doing a little bit of experimenting and writing from first person, which I rarely ever do.
I was raised on the chaos of a big family — deafening laughter, constant screaming matches, and joyous sobs. And I loved it. Loved every minute I got to spend with my loud, chaotic family. We had dinner together every Sunday at my grandparents' house, and it was always a madhouse through the summers when all the grandkids and the parents were there. But there was one week every year when my life was slightly less chaotic, and that was the week that my family spent with the Jordans and the Woods every summer.
The Beach House belonged to Katie and Oliver, and it was like my second home despite only being there one week out of the year. It was cozy, right on the beach so we could run right down to the ocean. Originally, it wasn't a big house, but Katie added on to it. There were three bedrooms and a master bath upstairs. If you went downstairs, you'd be in the living room. The back hallway was to the right and there were four bedrooms back there along with two baths. If you went left, you'd come to the kitchen, which had an amazing view of the ocean. Beyond that was the extension that Katie and Oliver added that housed two bedrooms and a sunroom with floor to ceiling windows. To say it was the most amazing place on Earth was an understatement.
Looking back, I realized I grew up in summers, with their heartaches and life lessons, particularly during those weeks I spent at the Beach House. I credit that to my second family — the Woods and the Jordans. We spent a week in summer together, our families did things together around the holidays, and our Floos were connected for spontaneous visits, which I found out when I was eight. Katie and Alicia were more like second mums to me than just my mum's friends. And when the boys were too much or I was overwhelmed with my life, they were always there.
I named those summers after my age. It was a joke between me and my dad, and I only remembered it because he kept the tradition alive. When I was little, we'd go down and collect shells on the beach a lot, or rather I'd gather the shells and he'd carry the bucket around since I was too little. I liked to name the shells and tell him the names I'd come up with as I dropped them into the bucket. Dad would always smile and if I struggled, he'd suggest something completely outrageous that I would immediately agree to. Well, I said I wanted to name a particularly shiny one Summer Four after the year. Dad asked me what I meant, and I explained that it was Summer Four because I was four obviously. Dad laughed, and I remember him throwing his head back and the sun reflecting brightly off his hair and beard. Then he agreed with me, that it was Summer Four, and he should have known.
My dad is great like that.
But Summer Four was easy.
Summer Six not so much.
I sit at the table in the kitchen while Katie works on lunch and Oliver grills our fish outside. The kitchen smells like beans and peas and fried onion gravy. I love it. Katie is one of the best cooks in the world, and I'm content to sit at the counter and color in my book while she cooks. Besides, Katie always listens to me talk about Miko, the puppy that I'm going to get as soon as I convince Mama and Daddy that I should be allowed to have a dog.
"And he's going to do tricks and be the bestest dog," I say as I pick up a green crayon. "Oh, and he'll dance with me. What other ballerina has a dog to dance with?"
Katie raises her eyebrows, a smile bright on her face. As long as I can remember, Katie has always been able to light up a room like that. She's like the sun with her blonde fringe and pretty blue eyes. She's like looking at happiness in a bottle. I love that about her.
"I'm not sure I've ever seen a dog in a ballet," she says.
I pick up the yellow crayon. This picture needs to be as bright as Katie is. "That's because I'll be the first. It'll be the coolest."
"I'm sure it will, sweetheart," she says as she stirs her peas.
Oliver comes in then and sets the fish on the table next to me. I wrinkle my nose. Oliver is definitely not as good a cook as Katie because the fish are black as coal.
"I think you burned them," I say.
"I didn't burn them, lass," Oliver says fondly. "They're charred."
"If you say so," I mutter as I go back to my picture.
"Why aren't you out playing with the boys?" Oliver asks as he pulls a water out of the fridge.
The boys. My brother, Brandon Jordan, and Jack and Hunter Wood. The bane of my existence.
"Because they told me I couldn't play with them," I say bitterly. "No girls allowed."
Normally, I'd tell my parents about that, especially since it was Freddy's rule, but they're in town shopping.
Katie's brow furrows. "You told me you didn't want to play with them."
I pick up a blue crayon. "I lied."
Oliver coughs, but he's also smiling. I don't get why adults smile and cough.
Katie wipes her hands on a dish towel before opening the back door and loudly calling for the boys. When they don't come right away, she steps onto the porch, the door clicking shut behind her.
"You need to come tell us when they're excluding you, lass," Oliver says gently. "Can't do anything about it if we don't know it's happening."
I shrug. I am hurt by it, but the boys have always done this, and the only person who can really make them stop is my mum. I'm just waiting for her to get home.
"Get in here right now," I hear Katie saying as the door opens. In marches my brother, his thick hair frizzy and his brown eyes very clearly annoyed when he sees me. Behind him is Jack his blonde hair damp with sweat, then his mini me Hunter, and finally, Brandon, his curly hair cropped close to his head. They know why they're in trouble. I can see it in their faces.
"Why is Roxanne in here alone?" Katie asks, tapping her foot.
"Because she wants to be?" It's Jack who answers and he sounds hopeful, like his mum isn't glaring daggers at him.
I set my crayon down. "Wrong."
Freddy glares at me.
"She said that you all told her it was no girls allowed," Katie says, narrowing her eyes.
"But, Mum, she's a baby," Hunter protests, jabbing a finger in my direction.
I'm highly offended by that. I am only two years younger than him and loads smarter. I put on my meanest look, hoping I look like my mum when she's upset. Mamma's scary when she gets angry.
"I am not a baby," I say loudly. I stand up in my chair and press my hands into the table.
"Hunter," Oliver says. He's glaring, and he glares a lot better than me.
"Take her with you," Katie says, and that's the end of discussion. I can it see by the annoyed look on the boys' faces. Smiling, I hop down from the chair. "And be nice."
The boys trudge onto the back porch and down the steps. I skip down after them, excited to have finally been included. The boys don't look thrilled, but I'm sure once we get to play, they'll get over it.
Freddy eyes me for a moment, then looks back at the other boys. "Let's race."
Before I can even say a word, they're off like a bolt of lightning, leaving me at the end of the steps.
"Wait for me!" I yell as I race after them. I've always been small, but I pump my legs as fast as I can after them. Freddy's leading the group with Hunter and Jack flanking him and Brandon making up the rear. They're cresting the small hill near the fence line. Once they reach the fence, they'll be on the beach, and I can't let them get that far. Not without me. I push myself up the hill. They're already out of sight, but I know I can catch them if I make it down this hill.
Only I don't make it down, or at least, I don't run down. My foot catches something at the top, twisting hard. Tendrils of pain shoot up my leg, and I'm falling. The sand is sliding under me as I roll over and over. I get some up my nose, but I can't cough it out. I can't stop myself, and I know I'm going to roll to the bottom. My arm gets caught under me and I hear a faint grinding noise, then I'm looking up at the clear blue sky. I can't breathe for a minute, all the air swishing from my lungs. I vaguely hear someone call my name, and then Freddy's face pops in front of my eyes as he kneels next to me. I can't even manage to glare at him.
He looks concerned then the other boys' faces appear, Hunter standing behind Freddy, then Jack and Brandon on my right side. They're hateful gits, the lot of them, and they've no right to look so concerned when this is their fault.
"Well, stop crying," Freddy mutters. I can tell by the way his eyes slide away from me that he feels guilty.
I don't even realize I am crying.
Jack clears his throat. "Um, I think . . ." He glances at my face then back to Freddy. "I think it's broken."
What? I turn my head to look at Jack, but my gaze locks on my right arm and its funny angle. When I realize they're talking about my arm, I scream. That's when I start to feel the pain. It's like someone took a knife and stabbed my arm. It shoots upward to my shoulder. I sob. Loudly.
Freddy rolls his eyes. "Stop crying." This time he sounds more serious and less guilty.
I glare. "You're not the one with a b-broken b-bone."
"Can you get up?" Jack asks. His brown eyes are filled with kindness. He is always the nicest one out of all the boys.
"No," I whine.
"Here." He gently wraps an arm around my shoulders and helps me into a sitting position. The pain is unbearable. I think I might puke.
"She looks green," Hunter says.
What?!
"Help me get her up," Jack says. "It'll be ok. My mum can fix it."
I doubt that anyone can fix the pain currently racing up my arm.
"I'm not touching her," Hunter says. "What if she screams again?"
Jack looks annoyed. "Here make sure you hold your arm in. If it flops around, it'll hurt more." Jack slowly pushes my arm into my chest, and I cry harder. How is anything supposed to hurt more than that? I grab my elbow to keep it in place as I try to make out my surroundings. The tears are blocking my eyesight something terrible. I feel another pair of hands on the other side of me. After blinking a few times, I can finally see again. Freddy is still kneeling beside me, and Hunter's standing in front of me. It's Jack and Brandon who are on either side of me.
"Can you stand up?" Jack asks.
I sniff loudly. "Maybe."
"We'll help you," he says. And they do, gently easing me onto my feet. It wouldn't be so bad if even that slight jarring didn't cause pain to shoot up my arm.
"I wanna go home," I cry.
"We will, we will," Jack says, and I can hear the panic in his voice. "It's just over the hill. Come on."
We start up the hill, and every step I take is excruciating. I can feel it in my arm every time I move. Jack tucks me into his side, and Brandon flanks the other side of me, watching me out of the corner of his eye. The sand slides beneath my feet, causing more pain to shoot up my arm. Why did I ever want to come out and play with them in the first place?
"We're gonna get in trouble," Brandon mutters.
"You should," I say. "You practically pushed me."
"No one pushed you," Freddy says from behind me.
"You might as well have," I sniff.
When we reach the top of the bank, I see Oliver running up the hill toward us and I've never been so happy to see an adult in my life. His brown hair is sticking up in different directions like he's been pulling at it. When his eyes land on me, they widen comically and he quickens his pace up the hill, reaching us within two strides. He drops down in front of me and Jack.
"Are you alright, lass?" he asks. "I heard you scream."
I sniff. "I-it hurts."
"I think her arm is broken," Jack says. "She fell down the hill."
Oliver looks like he wants to ask about that, but his lips tighten and instead he eases me from Jack's grip and picks me up. It doesn't ease the pain — makes it worse actually — but Oliver's much more comforting than Jack. At least I know I'll make it back to the house without tumbling down the other side of the hill. Once Oliver's got me settled against his chest, he stands up. I can see all the boys then; Freddy and Brandon both looking anywhere but at him, Jack kicking his foot guiltily into the sand, and Hunter looking at me and Oliver with an annoyed expression, almost like he's jealous.
"Are we in trouble?" Jack asks softly.
"Should you be?" Oliver says in response, and I feel like that's worse than him saying yes. My sniffing pulls Oliver's attention from the boys. "Back to the house, all of you."
Then we start down the hill, and the pain is back in full force. Nothing has hurt worse than this, not even the time I was practicing my recital dance in the living room and stubbed my toe so hard I swear it swelled up to the size of a frog. Mamma said I was just being dramatic, but I don't think that's true. I cry into Oliver's shirt. These boys have seen enough of my tears, and I know they'll make fun of me later for crying in the first place. The familiar smell of broom polish meets my nose and it's a small comfort compared to the pain. Oliver has smelled that way for as long as I can remember, and it's always been a comforting scent in my life. Sometimes Mamma smells like that after flying. Finally, we reach the house, the steps creaking under Oliver's weight.
"Katie!" he says as soon as the door opens, the smell of beans and gravy filling my nose.
"What happened?" I can hear the shrillness in Katie's voice, but I don't look at her.
"Jack says her arm is broken," Oliver says. "Says she fell down the hill."
"For Merlin's sake," Katie mutters. "Here, sweetheart, let me see."
As soon as Katie touches my arm, I scream, "I WANT MY DADDY!"
It hurts so much, and I just want to be left alone. If I can manage to stop moving completely, maybe the pain will go away.
"What the fuck is going on?"
I sob loudly when I hear Daddy's voice. He can fix this. He can fix anything.
"Roxanne fell," I hear Freddy say quickly. "We think she broke her arm."
I can feel Daddy take me from Oliver and smell gunpowder and smoke, the most comforting scent in the world. I can make out the outline of Katie shuffling through the cabinets and Mamma in the doorway of the kitchen. There are two people standing behind her who I think are Lee and Alicia. I hear Katie muttering about some potion, but that hardly matters when Daddy starts to talk.
"It's alright, sweetie," he says. "We'll get your arm fixed up in no time."
"Here, Roxanne," Katie says. "I've got a numbing potion. It'll make your arm stop hurting, but I need you to hold really still."
I nod and press my face into Daddy's chest. I know Katie said the potion would make me feel better, but I'm bracing for the pain. There's always pain before it gets better. However, all I feel is a cool sensation sweeping up my arm bit by bit and then I can't feel it at all. As Daddy wipes away my tears, I see Katie turning away from me and screwing the cap back on the potion. I can see Mamma clearly now and she's got one eyebrow arched as she surveys the boys, like she's trying to dissect exactly what happened. Mamma can be scary when she's trying to figure things out.
"Alright," Katie says. "Now we can get to the healing." She's standing on her tiptoes putting the potion back into the top shelf. "I'll need to straighten out her arm and put it in place before I heal the bone. Honestly, you wouldn't believe the number of healers who just snap bones back into place with a healing spell. Bloody painful, if you ask me."
I burst into tears. I knew the pain wasn't over.
"Are we going to talk about healing practices or are you going to perform the spell?" Mamma asks.
"Oh, right." Katie sounds apologetic, but all I can think about is how much this is going to hurt. "We'll just need to get this arm into place." I brace myself for her to touch me, but I don't feel anything. "Alrighty. Brackium Emendo. All done." I sniff loudly and crack my eyes open. My arm looks brand new, no odd bend in sight, but I still can't feel anything. "The potion should wear off in thirty minutes."
"Alright," Mamma says. "Who wants to explain to me exactly what happened?"
As it turned out none of the boys were too keen on explaining why exactly I had a broken arm. So, Katie explained and then the boys started to interject. Mamma wasn't at all happy with them, particularly Freddy, and she got the look I had been trying to give the boys earlier. The next day, as I eat breakfast with Cassidy, Brandon's older sister, I listen to Mamma cook breakfast and Alicia talk about how she can't believe the boys would do something like that.
"I don't know why you're surprised," Mamma says.
"Because our kids aren't supposed to be mean to each other," Alicia says. I think she lives in a fantasy world sometimes.
"My kids are mean to each other all the time," Mamma says. "If you don't know about your kids fighting then it's because they keep it from you."
"That's not what I meant."
"Want another pancake?" Cassidy asks me. She's ten, and the boys love her. They think she's cool because she's the oldest. I'd be jealous, but Cas is fun and nice and like my big sister. If she were here yesterday, none of that would have happened. I nod. She tosses a chocolate chip pancake onto my plate and adds some syrup on top. "How's your arm?"
"Better," I say through a mouthful of pancake.
"Want me to braid your hair later?" Cas asks. "Dad's been helping me with cornrows."
I swallow. "Ok."
Freddy walks in then, Jack and Brandon both tailing him. As Freddy starts to pull out a chair, Cassidy glares at him.
"No boys allowed," she says.
Freddy gapes at her. Then, "Mum!"
"I'm not saying a word until you apologize to your sister," Mamma says.
"But I didn't do anything!" Freddy said the same thing yesterday, but Mamma heard the whole story from Katie. I didn't even have to add anything.
"So, you didn't run away from your sister after you were told that you couldn't exclude her from your games?" Mamma says and she has that look again and I love her so much. She's my hero.
Freddy huffs before he grabs a plate, shovels some pancakes onto it, and marches into the living room. Jack doesn't even try to argue, just grabs a plate and pancakes before heading back into the living room. Brandon's staring wide eyed at his sister.
"But Cas," he whines.
"No. Boys," Cassidy says.
"Can I at least have some syrup?"
Cassidy pushes a bottle towards him. He takes it and a plate of pancakes then heads to the living room with his head hung.
"Are you sure we should let this work itself out?" Alicia says. "Don't think we should interfere?"
Mamma shrugs. "Interfere with your kids all you want. Freddy needs to apologize."
"He's the one who came up with the no girls rule," I say hatefully.
Before Alicia says anything, we hear shrieking coming from the living room and then Katie's yelling about her antique couch and syrup. Then she's telling the boys to get outside. Cassidy and I look at each other before softly giggling.
When Katie comes into the kitchen, she's pale. "The boys spilled syrup on my antique sofa."
"I heard," Mamma says.
Mamma and I are in the living room later when Hunter comes in from outside and plops down next to me on the floor. He eyes my snack of sliced apples and bananas and cheese. Reluctantly, I slide my plate toward him, but only because I know Mamma's watching us as she reads her book. Hunter snatches the apple I was going to pick up next and pops it into his mouth.
"Thanks," he says around his mouthful.
"I thought you were going with your parents to the pier," I say lazily coloring in my picture as I eat. Most everyone was going with them. All the kids and the adults except me and Daddy and Mamma. Mamma's boss is coming over to talk about Quidditch for a bit even though she's on vacation so Daddy said he'd stay with her, and I would rather stay with Daddy than go to the pier anyway. In case Freddy decided to push me into the ocean this time.
Hunter cringes as I color outside the lines. "I was. Jack got tired of me telling him that his name was short for Jackass and told Mum. She said I couldn't go."
Mamma does that weird coughing thing that adults do as she smiles.
Hunter's blue eyes go wide. "You're not going to tell Mum I was swearing, are you?"
"Since you were explaining why you can't go to the pier, I don't think we'll count that as swearing," Mamma says. She's great like that.
Hunter turns back to me. "Sorry about your arm."
I brighten and push my plate back towards him. "Thank you."
Hunter picks up another apple slice. "Did it hurt a lot?"
"Yeah, I thought I was gonna die," I say seriously.
I finish up the coloring page I was working on and close my book. I turn to Hunter fully and grab a piece of banana. It tastes sweet, and I quickly swallow it and grab another one. After Hunter pops a piece of cheese into his mouth, he wipes his hands on his shorts.
"Wanna go build a sandcastle?" he asks.
"Sure!" I say and hop up.
"Stay in the backyard," Mamma says without looking up from her book. "And don't go near the ocean. I'll be right out."
"Ok," we both say before racing outside.
When Cassidy gets back from the pier, she wants to put my hair in cornrows, so Mamma wets my curls and lets her have at it in the living room while she and the other adults are outside. She's just finished the first braid when Jack and Brandon appear. They've come from the sunroom where the boys are holed up, no doubt avoiding Cassidy. Jack walks over to us while Brandon stands back a few paces.
"Can I sit with you?" Jack asks. He's quite polite when he's not with my brother.
Cassidy eyes him. "If you can be nice."
He sits down next to me, and Brandon takes a seat on the chair across from us. Jack pulls a shell out of his pocket. It's small. I can tell he cleaned it because there's no sand on it and the red color is bright. Forcefully, I remind myself not to snatch it out of his hand. I love seashells. Daddy and I collect them every year. It's our tradition, but I don't think he'd be mad if I took one from Jack.
"I found this yesterday," Jack says. "I was going to give it to you because I know you like shells."
I sniff. "And?"
"And I thought it would make up for running from you yesterday."
He sounds sincere, but Jack always does. He's nice like that sometimes. I snatch the shell out of his hand, running my fingers over the divots. I like that it's small like me.
"Thank you," I say turning the shell over to examine the back.
"We didn't want you to fall," Brandon says nervously, twisting his hands together. "We thought you'd just give up and go back to the house."
I shrug. They should know better than that. I don't give up. I just find better ways to get what I want, like waiting for Mamma to get home. Chasing them probably wasn't the best idea though, especially since that's what they wanted.
When I don't say anything, Brandon continues, "Are you still mad at us?"
"Not really," I say. Brandon looks relieved and finally stops wringing his hands.
"Now, don't you feel better?" Cassidy asks, reaching down to ruffle Jack's hair. He swats her hand away with an annoyed look. "It pays not to act like jerks."
"Jerks is a bit harsh," Jack complains.
"I don't think so."
They continue to bicker as I look at my new shell. I know just the jar I want to put it in. I've got several, but the one I'm thinking of only has red shells, all shades of red. It's one of my favorites. Daddy keeps it up on the mantle at our house, and I add to it when I find just the right shells. This shell is definitely a keeper. I stuff it into my pocket, careful not to move my head too much as Cas is braiding.
"Thanks, Jack," I say interrupting his argument with Cassidy.
He grins. "No problem."
I'm on the top step of the back porch when Freddy finds me. My hair is still in cornrows. Mamma said Cassidy did a pretty good job, and she only had to fix a couple braids. I think Cassidy did an excellent job. When he approaches the steps, I'm waiting for her to come back outside. We were playing with our dolls. Cas says she's too old for them, but she still plays with me anyway. I sit my doll against the top step ignoring my brother as he shoves his foot into the sand and sends me hateful glares.
"Have you come to push me down the stairs?" I ask without looking at him.
"No one pushed you," he huffs. "I don't know why you keep saying that."
I send him an annoyed look and keep arranging my dolls.
"Look, everyone apologized so can you just stop being mad?" he says.
"You didn't apologize," I say.
"I didn't do anything wrong."
I roll my eyes. Freddy never thinks he does anything wrong. He's always right, all of the time. Frankly, it's annoying, especially when the real person who's always right is Mamma, and he disagrees with her all the time. I sit my last doll down roughly and glare at him. He crosses his arms and glares back; I can see the annoyance in his eyes.
"You wouldn't let me play with you," I say.
"You wouldn't have even liked the game we were playing," he says. "You hate tag because you're too small to catch any of us. Then you complain that it's not fair, and you tattle to Mum."
"I do not," I protest, but I have done that. Only once or twice though. "And then you ran away from me when Katie said that you had to let me play."
Freddy huffs and looks away like Mamma's caught him up when he should be in bed. I know I'm right, so I turn back to my dolls.
"Does your arm still hurt?" Freddy finally asks.
"No," I sniff. Why can't he just apologize like a normal person? Jack, Hunter, and Brandon all did in their own ways. I don't know why Freddy has such a hard time with it. It's like he can't stand that I'm right and he's wrong.
"Do you wanna come play with us now?" he asks.
"No," I say. "I'm playing dolls with Cassidy."
Freddy rolls his eyes. "Dolls? Isn't she too old for that?"
I glare at him again. Why does he have to spoil all my fun? "She wants to play dolls."
"Alright, whatever, Roxanne." He scuffs the sand. "Look, I'm sorry that you got hurt, ok? I didn't mean for you to." Sticking his hands in his pockets, he marches up the steps and sits beside me. "You're really ok, right? No more pain? Hunter said you felt like you were gonna die."
"I did think I was gonna die." I frown. Hunter isn't supposed to be telling my story. "But I'm fine now. Katie's a good healer."
Freddy sits there for a few minutes silently, and I don't say anything either, just straighten my dolls' hair and make sure their clothes aren't wrinkled or something annoying like that. Katie and Alicia were responsible for my collection. Mamma never thought to buy me a doll, but Katie said I had to have one, just to see if I liked it. My first doll was dark like me and had pretty brown hair. I still have her in my room somewhere. Finally, Freddy stands up.
"Well, if you want to come play with us, we're going down to the beach with Lee and Oliver," he says heading down the steps.
"Freddy," I say when he's a little ways off. "Thank you."
Freddy grins at me then runs off to where Lee and Oliver are heading down the path toward the beach.