Kelly gave birth to a healthy girl. One who came with hair as blonde as her mother's.
They named her Lucy. Lucy Tess Prodvere. They chose the name 'Lucy' because they considered themselves to be extremely 'lucky' to have her. Pretty cheesy if you ask me, but I'm not one to judge, especially in this situation.
They really were lucky to have a kid of their own! Though dealing with a pregnant Kelly hadn't been the most exciting thing in the world, the baby was healthy and born! She can cry like there's no tomorrow though. Geez, that kid is loud!
She's also got Mark wrapped around her little finger. At barely an hour old, she had complete control. He spends so much time making silly faces at her. And if I didn't know any better I'd say little Lucy was rolling her eyes as she laughed and smiled at him! Definitely like mother, like daughter.
As for me…who the heck am I kidding, she's got me whipped just as much! I don't make silly faces at her, but I can hold that little baby for hours! She was so little, and cute, and perfect, and no one can tell me otherwise!
I can't even get annoyed at Mark for the embarrassing faces he makes. Lucy's little baby laugh is the most adorable thing on the planet!
We love "ze bebe" (to quote Mark) so much!
She's gonna be a little heartbreaker when she gets older, I just know it!
When Lucy was born, it wasn't long until I turned seven.
Four more years, and I'd be attending Hogwarts. I'm getting all giddy just thinking about it!
Kelly smiled at her two daughters.
Kayla was holding Lucy as she sat on the couch, cooing at her as she told her all about magic and dancing.
So much time has passed…it felt like it was just yesterday that Kayla was found in a basket on their doorstep.
Now, eight years later, there she was, holding a baby sister.
Has it really been that long? Kelly wondered, looking back at her memories.
Kayla healed them back then. Her broken heart was so close to destroying her, and Mark wasn't far behind. If only she could show this precious baby, this miracle, just how much she meant to her and her husband.
Kelly let out a giggle when Lucy reached up to grab at Kayla's nose. She looked back in the kitchen to check on the soup she was making, which was cooking in a floating pot. She waved her wand to charm the dishes onto the table before turning back to her daughters.
Kayla giggled at the little baby's advances, smiling down at her as her small fingers tried to curl around her nose; though those fingers lost interest and instead found purchase in Kayla's white hair.
Kelly's smile widened. She hoped they would never grow up.
Her thoughts turned to Kayla as the eight year old flinched when Lucy pulled at her hair.
Kayla…What am I going to do with you, sweet girl? Her ability to conjure fire, create earth, and spew lava had been nagging at Kelly for months now. She had no idea what to make of it.
Kayla was a mystery. After a few weeks of meditating with the girl, Kelly noticed odd things happen during their sessions.
The first thing that happened was an intense heat radiating off her. At first, Kelly thought it was just summer heat, but it soon became apparent it was coming from her daughter; especially when winter rolled around.
The second odd event was when she glowed with white and black light. Kayla was meditating on her own when this happened, but Kelly saw it when she went out to check on her. Though Kayla didn't notice her.
The third and last occurrence she noticed was when the floral life around her grew at an unnatural pace, their stems and petals seeming to coil around her like snakes.
Kelly wouldn't be surprised if there were other strange phenomena happening around the girl that she wasn't telling them. Over the years, Kelly's noticed how…aware Kayla seems to be. As a baby, she never cried, and there was this…mindfulness she seemed to have.
Even as a four year old, Kelly was struck by how…mature Kayla had appeared. It was a maturity that was borderline unnatural for a child…
It was all connected somehow…Kayla has a strange ability, one that was too broad to put into any general category. Kelly wasn't sure what it all meant, or why it was happening. Thinking it over, the only set thing Kelly figured that would help them is finding out where the girl came from.
However, Kelly knew one thing for certain.
Kayla is her daughter. Maybe not by blood, but she will do her best to nurture, guide, and love the white haired girl for the rest of her days. Best of all, she knew Mark would be by her side throughout all of it.
Speaking of that handsome devil, Kelly felt familiar arms snake around her stomach as she stood in the entrance to the living room. She sighed in content, hugging the arms as she let herself lean back into the warmth her husband provided.
"Hey, honey," She turned her head around to kiss his cheek.
"Hey," He smiled back, turning his attention to their two girls, "You've got that look again. Watcha thinkin' about?"
"Well…I might send a letter to Professor Dumbledore soon," Kelly confessed her thoughts.
"He's the Headmaster of your school, right?" Mark asked, "The powerful guy with the long beard?"
"Yep, that's him," Kelly chuckled at his description of the wise (some would say odd or humorous) old man, "I'd like to get his advice on how best to help Kayla…"
"Well…" Mark brought one hand up to scratch his head, "If you want my opinion, she seems to be doing just fine. Sure, in the past the house almost burnt down, but we haven't had a single incident since you started tutoring her."
"I know," Kelly nodded, acknowledging her husband's point, "I'd just like his advice…pretty sure he's been teaching for over a hundred years now, he may have some good pointers." She smiled at her little quip, then added, "If he's not too busy, in any case."
"Fair point," Mark nodded back, his eyes drifting to his daughters, "What a world we live in."
"What a world indeed," Kelly sighed, rubbing her forehead. She walked forward, out of Mark's grip, towards the two girls.
"Dinner time, you two!"
"Yes!" Kayla jumped up as soon as Kelly picked Lucy off her lap, "It's rolls and potato soup, right?"
"That's right, squirt," Mark hoisted her up, "Happy birthday, Kayla!"
"Mom?" I asked as I took a bite of cake, "Are you okay? You look tired."
I've noticed in the last few days she's seemed a bit stressed out. It's a little concerning, and though I just chalked it up to having given birth a few weeks ago, I wanted to make sure she's alright.
"Oh, I've just been a bit swamped at work lately," Kelly smiled at my inquiry. She readjusted the blanket she was using to cover herself as she breastfed Lucy.
"Oh?" Mark looked at her in concern midway into a bite of his own slice of cake, "Everything going alright?"
"Nothing major…" Kelly chuckled hesitantly, "There's just been some erratic dragon behavior near Albania. It's been keeping us on our toes."
"Erratic dragon…what?" Mark dropped his fork, suddenly looking concerned, "Is there anything we need to be worried about?"
"I shouldn't think so," Kelly shook her head as a smile spread across her face, "Albania is pretty far from England."
I couldn't help but blink a bit. Albania…why does that ring a bell? I shook the thought from my head, asking another question.
"Do you know what's causing it?" I chewed on another bite of my delicious, once-a-year treat.
"Well, I suspect it has to do with the strange migration pattern of the giants a few years back, but no," Kelly sighed before flinching as Lucy bit down and suckled a little too hard, "No concrete evidence has explained it. Fortunately, I don't have to worry about it right now. I'm on maternity leave! They've actually given the case to a new hire who recently graduated from Hogwarts."
"They're giving an 'erratic dragon behavior' case to someone that young?" Mark raised an eyebrow, "That's not entirely reassuring."
"Don't worry, honey," Kelly smiled, "Dragon's have always given the Ministry a hard time, and this new behavior is nothing we can't adapt to and deal with."
"I'm with dad on this one," I put my fork on my now empty plate, "Aren't dragons really dangerous? What if they teamed up with the giants!?"
"While that would be formidable, it's not possible," Kelly chuckled at me, "Dragon's can't be tamed. And though they're sentient, I doubt a giant is up to the task. I'm sure Mr. Weasley will be able to handle it. He's got a team with him, and it's the perfect opportunity to get his feet wet."
"Wait…Mr. Weasley?" I blinked.
"Yes," Kelly nodded, "His name is Charlie Weasley. I just hope the poor chap doesn't run scared with wet trousers like the last new hiree."
"Are you sure you can't find a job researching some other magical creature?" Mark asked for the hundredth time, concern laced in his tone, "Dragons just seem so…intense."
"Which is exactly why we need more and more people to help deal with them…" Kelly began, but I tuned them out. I've heard this argument over a hundred times by now.
Weasley…I nearly forgot about the canon characters in this world. I've been so focused on other things I haven't even considered the timeline yet. So Charlie just graduated from Hogwarts? Ron, Harry, and Hermione haven't been in school yet in that case.
How much older is Charlie than Ron? I don't remember…
I idly wondered if I'd be in school with the canon characters at some point. It's possible. I don't think Charlie was more than seven years older than Ron and Ginny in the books...right?
I was going to put these thoughts in the back of my mind before I remembered the actual story of Harry Potter. The craziness that ensued at Hogwarts…
Crap. If canon hasn't happened yet, then things are gonna get tense. I looked over at Mark, Kelly, and Lucy, who had finished breastfeeding by now, and was sleeping soundly in her mama's arms.
Will we be safe? That was the thought I went to bed with as my seventh birthday in my new life came to a close.
Three years have gone by. I have only a few months left before I go to Hogwarts!
Aside from learning how to implement young, little Lucy in our lives, life has gone on quite routinely. I continued going to muggle school and dance lessons, Kelly tutored me in meditation and control, and when Mark came home from work every day I'd run up and hug him.
Even after I turned ten, I'd still run up and hug him or Kelly when they got home from work or long trips.
By the time Kelly went off of maternity leave, she and Mark determined I was old and mature enough to take care of Lucy on my own, and during the days when Kelly would go away on long trips, Kelly's mom would come and babysit while I was at school.
In the last two years, Kelly has taken several weekends and sometimes even weekdays to travel for work. She's exhausted by the time she gets home, and her robes are almost always singed.
Apparently there have been several cases of erratic dragon behavior turning up all over Europe. And though Kelly specialized in dealing with dragons in the Beast Division of the Department for the Regulation and Control of Magical Creatures, she was also recruited by members of the Being Division to help deal with migrating giants due to her specialization in stunning spells.
It's been keeping her on her toes lately, and Mark always ran to make sure she was alright when she'd apparate back home.
As for my own magical performance, I still struggle to perform the hovering charm, and when I'm not meditating Kelly helps and encourages me to keep trying. I know that I'm technically older than Kelly, but gosh dang it, you can't blame me for getting frustrated and humphing at that stupid quill after seeing almost no progress in a whole year! I can only get the dang thing off the ground by a foot!
Kelly assured me that when I got my own wand, and as I got older, it would be easier. Using a wand that hasn't chosen you is always less effective.
I hoped that was the case, because I was starting to wonder if my draconic and angelic genes were working against the wizarding blood in me. Only time will tell at this point, 'cause Kelly won't let me practice any other spells with her wand. The first and last time she let me, I accidentally blew up the kitchen table.
I sighed as I slumped on the couch. I showered earlier after coming home from dance lessons, and had been working on the hovering charm for the past five minutes. My hair was still damp.
"What's for dinner, mom?" I asked while turning my head over to face her.
"We're having chicken salads," Kelly said as she bounced Lucy on her hip, who yawned.
At three years old, Lucy was starting to talk. And though she couldn't speak properly yet, she was quite talkative in "baby language" when she wanted to be. She was quiet now though, having just barely woken up from a nap.
"When your dad gets home, we'll–" At that moment, Mark's car could be heard pulling up into the driveway.
"Speak of the devil and he'll appear!" I jumped up, excited to eat! I haven't eaten since lunch, and I'm a growing girl–I need sustenance!
As soon as Mark walked through the door, I barreled into him, hugging his legs. Mark was tall, and even at ten years old, I barely went past his waist.
"Hi dad!" I cried out, smiling up at him.
"Hey there, squirt," Mark bent down to hug me back, a packet of papers in his hand.
"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the papers as Kelly moved in for her turn.
"Just some news I'll be sharing at dinner," Mark smiled, making me and his wife look at him with tilted heads.
We all journeyed to the kitchen table. Mark took Lucy from Kelly, and started situating her in a high-chair. Kelly waved her wand, causing plates and forks to hover and spin over onto the table, shortly followed by the enchanted cooking pot her mom gave her as a wedding gift.
The pot turned over on every plate, causing the tasty looking chicken-caesar salad Kelly made earlier to drop on them.
"So, what's the word on your news?" Kelly asked as a small plate of diced chicken settled in front of Lucy.
"Well…something happened at work a few weeks ago," Mark said in between bites of his own food, "An opportunity presented itself, and I applied for a promotion."
"A promotion?" I asked, "Do we not have enough money?"
"We do, sweetie," Kelly reassured me, "So, what prompted you to apply?"
"Well, for one, the opportunity appeared," Mark stated, "And I've been thinking about the future. I know we're well off with the money you make at the Ministry of Magic and my job at Grunnings, but I think it would be good if I started making more too."
He looked at little Lucy who was happily chewing away the chicken Kelly was feeding her.
"And with another mouth to feed, it wouldn't be a bad idea to start saving for more tuition funds for when she grows up," He chewed another bite of his food, swallowing before continuing, "I'd also like to be able to get our own house someday."
"Well, those sound like good enough reasons," Kelly tapped her chin, a playful look beginning to gleam in her eye, "But what'll I do if my hot husband gets a cute belly from sitting in an office all day?" She wiggled her fingers, tickling Mark's side.
"Mom!" I exclaimed, "I'm right here! So is Lucy!"
"Hey, I workout!" Mark smirked at his wife, flicking her nose playfully (and ignoring me!), "In more ways than one. How do you think that happened?" He pointed at their youngest daughter, his eyes never leaving his wife's.
"Mark!" Kelly fake slapped him indignantly; though the smile never left her eyes.
"Guuuys…" I slumped in my chair, covering my face with my hands, "It's like living with teenagers…" I trailed off.
I couldn't help but secretly love and admire their relationship. Stuff like this happens almost every day. Even after nearly 14 years of marriage, they couldn't get enough of each other. I couldn't blame them either. Kelly looked amazing, even after giving birth! And age was only doing good things for Mark's rugged appearance.
A part of me idly wondered if I'd ever be lucky enough to find someone to love like that, or who would love me like that…
For now though, I'm plenty content being the embarrassed daughter. I went to pick up Lucy off her chair.
"C'mon, Little Lu," I said, nodding to her, "I'll get you cleaned up while mom and dad flirt like we're not here."
"Kala!" Lucy smiled and grabbed at me as I picked her up.
"Oh, calm down, squirt," Mark laughed at my behavior, "We're not that bad."
"Oh, yes we are," Kelly said under her breath, smiling as I took care of my sister.
"Anyway," Mark cleared his throat as I washed Lucy's face off, "As I was saying earlier, I applied for this new position, and I got in!"
"Oh?" Kelly blinked in surprise, "So soon? That's great, honey!"
"Congrats, dad!" I called out over my shoulder as I now worked to dry Lucy's wet, but now clean, face off.
"Yep!" Mark smiled back, "My boss wants to meet, and invited us over for dinner tomorrow; is that okay, babe? I know it's sudden…"
"Don't worry," Kelly reassured him with a smile, "I've been given the entire weekend off, so I'll be here."
"Entire weekend, huh?" Mark kissed her, a smirk in his eye, before glancing up at me with a fatherly expression, "You'll be good tomorrow? My boss and his family are muggles, so no fire or explosions, squirt." He smirked a bit.
"Don't worry, dad, I'll be good!" I rolled my eyes at him, situating Lucy on my hip, "And I haven't blown anything up in years!"
"Uh-huh," Kelly smirked, "What exactly happened to our patio table, then?"
"...Months, I haven't blown anything up in months!" I ignored Kelly's knowing smile.
"Good girl," Mark chuckled, turning to his wife again, "For tomorrow I was thinking of bringing something sweet and savory over for dessert. I hear Mr. and Mrs. Dursley have a son who's quite fond of sweet things."
"No problem, hun, I'll cook something up," Kelly said as she took Lucy from my suddenly still arms.
Did he just say Dursley?
