The next morning, I woke up feeling groggier than usual.
Hoping that a nice shower would help awaken me. I chose to take a shower before it was time to feed and change the twins.
I slowly grabbed my things, and walked into the bathroom. I showered quickly, enjoying the feeling of washing all the grime away along with my exhaustion.
When I got out of the shower, I slipped on some fresh undergarments, along with my garter belt and thigh-high stockings. After that slipped on my floor-length gray cotton skirt, and forest green blouse with lace angel wing sleeves.
I curled my hair and applied a light coat of makeup before I pinned on my lace, jewel-encrusted headband onto my hair. Stepping into my zipper boots before I slipped on my sleeveless cloak.
By the time I walked back into the room, Tom was pacing with a hungry Arlo in his arms, looking extremely tired and sleepy.
I wanted to laugh in amusement but I knew that if I laughed I'd never hear the end of it from him. And I'd have to endure him scowling at me for the rest of the day.
"Do you need help there, Daddy? Or are you practicing on how to calm him down?" I asked as I leaned on the doorway, raising a questioning eyebrow at him.
"I thought you'd never get out of the shower. Bloody hell, I thought I was about to lose my bloody mind." He answered thickly, sounding extremely relieved.
"No, that happens the first couple of times. I see, you're losing the fear to hold them, though. I'm glad to see that you're starting to feel more comfortable around them." I commented as he slipped Tommy into my waiting arms.
"I think he's hungry." He replied as he went back to lay on the bed, sighing tiredly as he stared at the ceiling for a moment before he let out a gust of air.
"No doubt about it," I replied, as I sat down on the rocking chair and began to feed him as I slowly rocked him back and forth.
Humming lowly to him as he fed.
I took another hour to feed and change Adley and put her back to sleep.
The sun was just rising as I made my way down the stairs to begin making breakfast.
I washed my hands and began to make poached eggs, roasted tomatoes, and a few pieces of butteredtoast.
I had just finished setting the plates on the breakfast bar when I heard someone walk into the kitchen, startling me in the process, causing me to drop a plateful of freshly baked cookie.
"Bullocks! Lily is going to kill me." I muttered as I flicked my wrist, making the pieces of the broken plate fly to the trash bin along with the cookies.
"Do you need help making breakfast, mydear?" The woman, who called herself my mother, asked.
"No, not from you. I'm done either way. So, excuse me." I softly spoke, not looking her way, muttering angrily to myself under my breath.
"Honey, at least look at me. Talk to me." She begged.
"My name is Sophia Annamarie. Anna to you. You don't get to call me honey, or darling or any other endearment you can think of. If I had wanted to talk to you,I would've done so the moment you showed up. So, just-just leave me alone, alright?" I said, emotionlessly as I placed another batch of cookies into the oven.
I could hear as the rest of the inhabitants in the house made their way down towards the kitchen as I waited for the cookies to finish baking.
When they were done, I placed them on a plate and set them on the breakfast bar in the middle.
I was beginning to grow tired of their pleading.
I needed time to at least get used to the idea that they were here, and their constant babbling and begging wasn't helping one bit.
If anything it drove me farther away.
"Anna," Tom said, as he made his way through the kitchen to my side.
"Where are the twins?" I whispered, worried.
"In the sitting room with Lily and James." He whispered back, as he kissed my cheek.
I nodded, as everyone else came in.
"Well, eat up. I guess. I'm not that hungry at the moment, so I'll go get Lily and James so they can eat." I said as I made my way into the sitting room.
I watched as the unwanted guests tried to coax Lily and James into handing them the twins so they could go eat.
As I walked into the room all eyes snapped to me.
"Lily, James. Would you please hand over my babies? I wouldn't want to keep you from eating breakfast this morning." I told them, in a controlled voice.
I watched as both the blonde man and the woman with multi-colored hair's faces fell.
But I was too numb to feel anything towards them. Once I felt that the twins were safe I quietly began making my way towards the stairs.
"Oh, for the love of Merlin's Beard! Are you seriously going to keep your parents away from their grandchildren?" The raven-haired girl asked, annoyed as she blocked my way.
"What I do with my children is my problem, not yours. Now move." I growled, holding the twins closer to my chest.
"Leilah, you really shouldn't anger her. She could end up hurting you." The man cautioned.
My eyes flickered to look at the man for a moment before they flickered back to look the girl.
"Oh please. John, she is just another witch what can she possibly do that I cannot?" She asked, keeping her eyes on me.
I could see Tom make his way into the room with Andi and an angry-looking Bellatrix slightly behind them.
"Anna, give me the babies, please. You don't want to lose control while holding them..." Andi said, calmly.
I handed her the twins, keeping my eyes on the dimwitted girl.
Tom, who looked just as livid, stood next to me.
"Leilah, I suggest you take a step back." Her mother cautioned.
"Why? I went to Beauxbatons. What's the difference between what they taught me from what they learned in Hogwarts?" She sneered.
"The difference, moronic girl, is that we learned how to take advantage of the library there in Hogwarts. The dark arts and defense against the dark arts come to be very helpful when facing an opponent. What does turning into a simple bird do for you when facing an opponent?" Tom mocked, causing her to flinch back.
I held back a smirk as I watched all of the unwanted guests' look at us cautiously. Feeling Tom's gaze on my face, I turned to see him smirking at me, amused.
'She's awfully touchy on the subject... would you like to see how long she lasts before she snaps?' Tom thought.
I nodded, keeping my gaze facing forward.
"From what I've heard people from your school are also very skilled at concealment charms. You're nothing more than a bunch of cowards. Always running away." He sneered.
"That's not true! We're also skilled at dueling." She said, as she desperately tried to defend herself.
"Tom, you're being extremely cruel to your sister." Her mother said.
"I'm not saying anything that isn't true." He articulated.
'She's about to blow...' Tom thought towards me.
'No, I don't think she will.' I thought back, holding back a smirk.
"Oh, that's it!" She cried pulling out her wand and pointed it at us.
Causing the smirk on Tom's face to grow more prominent.
'See?' He thought, amused.
"Stop!" I commanded, causing her to freeze in the position she stood in.
"You really should learn your place. Challenging two wizards who you don't even know is rather dangerous. It not only does it put you in a bad position to duel, but it gives us leverage over you." I commented, walking towards her.
Giving her a onceover, before turning to give Tom a discernible look.
"Leilah, is it? You're a sad, poor excuse for a wizard. A real wizard doesn't let anyone get the upper hand. You clearly have a lot to learn from the looks of it... pity, it really is too bad." I said, feeling Tom's eyes on me.
"She didn't finish her sixth year. She was pulled out by her mother." The other woman said, slowly walking towards me.
"Do you see? Even your mother didn't think you worthy of finishing a wizarding school. Tom?" I called, looking over at him for a second.
He stepped closer to me, in an almostprotective stance, he always takes.
"Alright Anna, you've had your fun. Let her go." Andi said, looking at me.
I pouted before I flicked my wrist and let her go.
"Next time no one will be here to save you. So, mind your own business before you get yourself killed." I muttered, before pulling the twins into my arms and walking up the stairs to the third floor, into my room.
"Sophia Annamarie Riel-MacLaggen!" The woman shouted after me.
I had just put the twins into their bassinet when the door opened.
I ignored whoever the person was, and sat down on the bed.
I was about to begin putting my clothes away when a hand wrapped around my wrist and turned me roughly towards the person.
"I'm talking to you." The woman sneered.
"Let go of her. Now." Tom said, calmly, as he walked in.
I looked at her hand and watched as she flinched back, letting go of my wrist as if it burned her.
I stood there with my arms crossed over my chest waiting for the woman to get to the point.
"I am your mother, get that through your thick skull, Sophia." She growled, staring at me straight in the eye.
Though I'll never admit this, I was scared of what she may do. I felt as if she might strike me if I allowed her to.
I could only imagine what I would do if she chose to.
They say anger is a powerful emotion, if that is true we will see how powerful it truly is today.
'Dear Merlin, pleaselet me be able to keep control overmyself.' I thought, trying to control my rising anger.
"My mother is dead." I sneered back, my eyes narrowing.
"Her eyes are beginning to glow. Step back if you value your safety, ma'am." Tom cautioned, slowly stepping towards me, his hands raised cautiously in the air.
"She's fine, Tom. I'm in control." I said, emotionlessly.
"Now you listen to me, young lady." She began, her voice wavering as she looked into my eyes.
'Sophia, you already know their are our parents. Stop giving them such a hard time.' Tom alleged, through our connection, I could almost see him roll his eyes at my antics and amusement.
'I know. I'm just so damn furious at them. How can they do this to us? This woman before us saw what we went through. She saw how much pain we were in. How many times I cried, or cried myself to sleep... and she did nothing to stop it. She cared more about everything else than me and you. I-I don't think I can ever forgive them. I want them gone.' I replied, my hand twitching. I felt him wrap a restraining hand over my wrist, causing me to let out a sigh.
He nodded in response before turning to the woman who called herself my mother.
"You need to hear the truth. You need to understand why we did what we did." She continued.
"Because you're both cowards. The lot of you.Because your loyalties lie somewhere else. Even though you say they lie with your families. Because you cared more about everything else than you ever did about me... I saw your reasoning. I know your poor excuses, so don't try to lie to me. Surely, you can see I'm not daft." I uttered, emotionlessly.
"You of all people should understand why I did this." She pleaded, placing a hand on my arm.
"I don't... and I doubt Grisha and Seamus will understand. My grandparents will probably understand though, maybe. But I hope you realize that thanks to all of your lying, the man you supposedly love, lost all if not most of his family... and that's something you can't change or bring back." I replied, flinching back.
"But you can." She said, calmly. "You can change all of it, all of this." She said pleadingly.
I shook my head, looking towards the bassinets for a moment, before swallowing my pain and looking back towards the woman, who I refused to acknowledge as my mother.
"But I won't. See Seamus once told me that not everything happens in the future we see. The things we do, we can't change. It is not up tous to change or alter anything.Altering that event, any event for that matter can end up with Tom and me, or innocent people dying. I'm not so daft as to try to change something that's already happened." I uttered, calmly, looking at her and watching as her calm façade crumbled onto the floor.
"Then, please, at least talk— just— just talk to us." She begged, tearfully.
"I eventually will. Just not at this moment. Not while everything is still fresh in my mind. Most certainly, not while your trying to push, and settled yourself into my life. I need time." I said, stoically.
"Might I suggest that you start to think of what explanation you're about to give the others quickly. Because they'll be here with their significant others in less than an hour," I told her, before turning back to finish putting away my clothes.
Keeping my eyes in anything besides the woman standing in the room with us.
"Now, I suggest you leave this room before you force my hand." I told her dismissively.