✧PROUD AS COULD BE✧

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Rabastan had been a frantic mess, he had constantly eyed the clock all of yesterday in wonder when the first sign of the owl would arrive.

But it hadn't.

And when he questioned Aurora on it, he realized the stress that would follow in their first night , and that they'd get in touch as soon as they could. "I didn't want to write to my parents either, not when it out to be an apology letter claiming the sorting hat must've been wrong."

"The hat was not wrong, not at all."

"Yes well, I hadn't known that at the time." She said, curling back into her pillow and groaning. Especially when he locked his chin onto her shoulder, leaving a kiss to her bare skin.

"Nooo. I want five more minutes."

"But doesn't a bagel with Lockes on it sound delightful at eight-thirty?" She perked her lips with a slightly narrow gaze to add to it.

"Something to say about my breakfast choice Lestrange?" She said, arching her arm to look at him fully now. How was it that she was half asleep just a second ago but was all but prepared to throw up an argument in defense of her favorite snack.

"Nothing. Not a single thing."

"That's what I thought." She curtly instated, turning back into her pillow trying to return back to sleep. "Though I do think it's a bit much for a morning meal, and you can't pair anything with it." He said with a large smile on his face, perhaps he should start teasing her more—Especially if she was making that face.

"Ice tea."
"Merlin, surely not."
"I'm going to feed you it for the rest of the week, shove it Lestrange. I want to sleeeeeep." She knew what he was doing but it was leaving her restless, surely he could understand that she was tired?

But like most things in a full house, Lori had come barreling in without much of a knock. "Mummy! Rommy and 'Mara's owl came!" She cheered, hurrying onto the bed before jumping up.

Her nightie hadn't been much help as it was a small window of opportunity for her father to tickle her right at her stomach.

"No papa! Come! I wanna know if they're a birdie or a snake!" Aurora couldn't find a reason to stop laughing in seeing her husband, a full-fledged adult—At the whims of their youngest.

Leaving her to grab a robe and wrap it around. "Come on Loli, I'm sure papa wants to take a shower. And we have some breakfast to cook." Rabastan stilled at the idea of having to wait to open the children's letters to know for sure, so he took his time in his morning routine.

Which left him to check on Cara, who was twirling her hair at her window's seat and continued reading even after he knocked and found his way in.

"Cara...? Did you read all night?" Her innocent eyes popped up to look at her father as she leaned forward to look at the time. Causing her to pout.

"I fell asleep for barely two hours, and I didn't want to bother Roe or sleep with Lori."

"And the wolves?"

"It's easier to just to read a book." Her comment caused her father to chuckle, all before he sat down beside her to take a peek at what she's reading.

"You've gotten that from your mum then, I cannot tell you how many times I've caught her reading at various hours of the night."

"Rommy always catches mum sleeping at her desk. I don't know why I can't sleep." Wrapping an arm around her shoulder was how he brought his daughter to his chest, and she so easily conformed to lean into her father.

"You wouldn't be nervous for Salem? Would you?" Cara remained silent for a moment before nodding, and a small sniffle escaped her.

Rabastan hadn't meant to make her cry, but he could clearly see the stress start to form on her childish features that it tugged on his own heart.

"Oh come now darling, I promise it isn't as scary as it sounds."
"But you and mum are here."
"Well that would be better for when you're all in Hogwarts, wouldn't it? And I am envious that you have a brother your age to be at school alongside you." He cheered, causing her to tilt her head in confusion.

"Your mum had her brother when entering Hogwarts, and then when her younger brother was finally old enough he had either of them. And myself, as they had me in Slytherin." Cara seemed rather intrigued at the idea of hearing about her father's experience at Hogwarts.

"Why didn't you go to Salem?"

"Oh darling, Salem wasn't open to lads yet. I think that was your mother's doing, but even then I don't think I would've qualified. Your mum is a brilliant witch."
"I think you're brilliant." She said, leaving her book to fall to the floor and rising on her knees to face him further.

"Well if you think I'm brilliant then I must be...I do believe there is some smarts you get from me. And if anything, a few Slytherin traits."
"I don't think I'm cunning."
"Cunning is only a part of the list, there's ambition as well."
"That sounds more Ravenclaw than Slytherin..." She mumbled and her father nodded his head and cupped her cheek.

"That's why your mother and I work so well, Slytherin and Ravenclaw are very much alike." Lori gushed in the doorway as she squealed at her father's comment about their mum.

"Papa! Papa! Mummy says breakfast is ready!" She said, coming to the other side of her father and snuggled into his side as well.

"I find that I'm too comfortable to move darlings." He cooed, leaning down to kiss either of their heads before it was the simple curiosity of Cara as she wanted to know her sibling's houses.

Thus the two dragged their father down the main staircase and off to the dining room. It had been a much more intimate setting, sure it was him mum's old breakfast room but it was perfect.

The small sized table was enough for the lot of them, especially now that their numbers were going to dwindle within the week.

Rabastan eyed the parcel, and he had to note that it was a rather beautiful script on the addressing—And it was to both him and Aurora.

His hand went off towards to hold it, not in the mindset of opening it or reading it. But just to see that he had gotten somewhere with the children in the sense that he was getting mail.

"I hope you were waiting for me, Rabastan." She poked, and all the children made a face of awe. While Lori looked utterly confused. "Mummy why did you call papa that?" Aurora turned to give her daughter a once over in slight confusion.

"That's his name sweetheart, you don't think my name is just mum do you?"

"Oh...Is that why papa calls you Rory?" Rabastan was surely amused, while Ronan was shaking his head as he was taking a portion of bacon and eggs.

"I thought your name was just mum."

"And what was my name before I had Romulus and Imara?...No sweetheart, my name is Aurora and your father's name is Rabastan." It sounded foreign to Lorelei, so much so that she pouted in her food as she felt rather dumb in not knowing that.

But then again, she hadn't met her father until this summer.

"Lolli it's alright, there is no need to pout. I'm sure you heard me call your father Raba before, haven't you?"

"I thought that was just a pet name." Ronan narrowed his brows as his father coughed into his sip of tea and attempted to hold his expression by biting his lip down.

"I was about three when I made that name up darling, I've always called you father Raba. His name was a mouthful when I was a babe."

"And Cassiopeia is any easier?"

"Oi, why do you think I like Aurora?" She shot back rather instantly when Rabastan called her out on her proper name.

"Can we open the letter now mum?" Cara said, and Rory smiled in seeing how quickly her daughter was getting the curious jitters, and Aurora turned to the envelope in question.

Rabastan knew that look though, she was scared. And so he held up the envelope and handed it to her. "I doubt they've managed to get in trouble already love, open it." She so she popped open the seal and inside were both Romulus' and Imara's.

They spoke about the train ride, meeting another set of twins and their roommates.

But failed to bloody mention which house they were in.

"Oh for the love of—Daisy! I need a piece of parchment!" She called out, and handed off the parcels to her husband as she threw her arms over her chest and slid down her chair.

Sure it made Lori giggle, but Cara and Ronan were in a mess of confusion.

"I suppose they are a little devious...Could you possibly wait another full day Rory?" The mother had pouted her lips as she could simply look at the map and wait to see where the two would go off to in terms of dorms.

Or if the schedules weren't so switched she could look and see—Better yet, where they sit in the grand hall. But Aurora wanted to hear if from them.

Ronan had taken a grab at the now empty envelope after noticing that it wasn't all that empty, apparently Romulus must've charmed it to hide out after the initial letters had been read.

However, when he peeked open the envelope just a tad, a burst of confetti had shout out up to the ceiling and floated down rather slowly to reveal two colors.

Blue and Bronze.

Aurora, who had been so distraught on not knowing the outcome of the twin's houses as she thought they were withholding it was suddenly staring up at the small origami bird up in the air that was dispersing the confetti by flapping it's wings.

"That's so pretty!" Lori cheered, holding out her hands to catch the small bits. While Ronan groaned as he started picking out the bits in his hair.

"Yeah it's pretty alright, it's in your oatmeal Lori." The youngest Lestrange had looked at her bowl suspiciously and thought rather childish how fun it would be to eat the little things.

But Aurora had eyes everywhere, and she simply placed her hand down onto her daughters to stop her from eating. "Let me clean that up darling...It should—End soon." And almost instantly the entire mess had disappeared, making Ronan's job much easier as he sighed in relief.

He hated the pranks that involved confetti.

The small paper bird had landed just in the center of the table and revealed what they all wanted.

Both Romulus and Imara were sorted into Ravenclaw.

Rabastan wasn't at all that bummed, realistically he had thought that is how his children would go. And besides, he still had three chances for one of the children to be Slytherin—Though it would be a grand display of karma if everyone is a Ravenclaw in the Lestrange family.

"You look shocked." Rabastan dwelled, and she choked on a laugh. "How long have we waited for an answer?" He silently agreed and went to go hold her hand as they continued to eat their meal.

But it was clear that Aurora was a giddy mess, while Rabastan was busy making an order on a decade and some odd year promise.

And it was going to arrive by tomorrow.

"Papa?" Lori called out, Rabastan had turned off towards the door of his study and instantly put out his cigar at the presence of his youngest. "Are you alright sweetheart?" He questioned, it was a simple notice of her cracked voice.

But then she bursted into tears.

"Oh darling come here, what is it?" He called out, coming closer and pulling her into his hold as she was a shaking mess. After a sense of her blurted out reason for being upset, he concluded one thing.

And he could surely relate.

"My sweet, you are not dumb or stupid. I've only met you this summer...And if it's any consultation, I didn't know my mother or father's name until you age or older. It's not normal to call someone by their first name here, unless you're familiar with them. You are not dumb, not at all."

"B-But I feel like it! I'm not smart like Romulus."
"Darling he has four years on you, and with those four years Salem's education."
"Everyone is smarter than me!"
"Can I tell you a secret Lorelei?" The girl had stopped sobbing, but she was still crying softly through the conversation and nodded as she wiped her eyes.

"Your mother's work flies over my head constantly, and I've seen Romulus' notebook. I am not surprised on his or Imara's sorting, sometimes I believe that your brother is smarter than I am with the way he talks with your mother...But that is no reason to cry darling."
"But I didn't know your name!" Rabastan smiled so softly to his daughter, his hand cupping her cheek and gently pushing aside her tears as he thought something so cruel.

I didn't know yours either.

I didn't know you existed until now.

"I've been away for a long while, and your mother didn't know when I was coming back. It's alright, you aren't meant to call me by my first name. I'm papa. Simple as that."
"Mummy calls you Raba, it sounds like papa."

"Yes darling it does, and who says you aren't smart?"
"N-nobody, but mummy always gives me a look."
"A look? What kind of look?"
"I don't know, a look that I should know things but I don't."
"I can promise you love, that your mother would rather burn herself on the cauldron than downgrade you into thinking the way you are."
"But I don't know what to do! I try and read but it doesn't work, a-and when I ask questions R-Ronan says I'm bothering him." Rabastan sighed, he was sure there was only so much Ronan himself could take.

"Then why don't you come to me if you have a question? I'm here for the entire year and I should be learning a few new things."
"But I don't want to be a bother papa."
"Why would that bother me? I think it'd give us something to do when we're alone in the house and your mummy is off working and brewing." A smile cracked as she was wiping her eyes, and it allowed him to kiss her forehead and decided that work could wait.

His child was crying before him and he wouldn't waste another moment not trying to make her feel better. "You know I was playing chess with Ronan, perhaps you would like to play?" The smile dwindled instantly, did she not like chess?

"I don't know how to play."
"Even better, would you like to play inside or outside?" Lori bounced up with her father's hand in her grasp as she lead him through the manor, picked up a chess game and hurried out to the gazebo.

Course he ordered a jumper for Lori and himself as it was starting to get a lil chilly, but he did cast a warming charm as he set up the pieces about.

As he lined up all the pieces, Lori had her arms crossed on the table as she patiently waited with her chin her wrists and attempting to memorize each and everything.

She wanted her papa to think she is smart.

"Right then," He started, turning the board sideways as either end hadn't connected to one or the other. "There are six different pieces on the board. We have the front row entirely pawns, they can go one spot—But, if it's the first move of this specific pawn. It can take two big steps." Lori nodded along, and that allowed Rabastan to continue. "This is—"

"A horsey!" He chuckled and nodded.
"Yes, it's a horsey, or a knight. The knight can move in a sort of an 'L' shape. Two forward and then one right or left, another move let's say he was here...He could make the L shape to his left or right."
"How is the horsey—the knight suppose to get anything if he goes in an 'L'?"
"It happens love, just you wait." And it continued on a rather quick overview of the rest of the pieces, he created a few scenarios and Lori seemed eager to play.

Or eager to say she tried and runoff.

He decided to test her knowledge and played through a game, and he continued throughout to give her hints and told her what a situation such a check-mate would entail. And she seemed to be getting the hang of it after the third game, or at least how the pieces move and such, strategy would come plate. Right now he simply wanted her to know what went where or how to move the correct pieces around.

"Well I wish I brought my camera, this is so precious!" Aurora cheered as she was entering the gazebo, course she knew that they were outside—The map told her so.

"Papa's teaching me how to play chess." Lori smiled up to her mum and it earned her a kiss on the cheek. "Well then I won't be interrupting anymore than I am, shall I send some snacks?" That peeked either of their interests and Rory left with a wink and nothing more.

But she felt instant guilt slash her heart, Lori wanted to learn how to play chess and she hadn't known.

Aurora held her arms over her chest as she made her way back into the manor, sure it was slightly selfish for wanting to teach Lori chess—But it slipped her mind.

It seemed like she was doing that a lot these days.

"Mum? Is everything alright?" She looked up to see the concern sketched on her son's face, and at times like this she would simply smile a certain way to try and pass off that she was alright.

But Ronan was much smarter than that, and instead he dropped what he was doing and came over to his mum to offer a hug.

However perhaps he was a little selfish too in liking his elder siblings gone from the manor so he could pretend that he was the eldest, but more so in the fact that he could comfort his mum.

He never understood it, but Aurora would always calm down. Was it the fact that he looked like his father? That was a strong contender.

"Do you want to talk about it mum?" He said, feeling the movement of her hands running through his curls. And so he humored her in the attempt to make her smile by morphing his hair into her signature silver color.

"I didn't know Lori wasn't taught to play chess..." Ronan blinked, turning off towards the gazebo he could surely guess what's happened. "You tried remember? She was just too little to really want to sit down and listen mum." He could see his mum starting to tear herself a part for not knowing, she did this more often than not.

"I've finished making a list of what I wanted to pack for Salem, could we make some brownies?"
"You're sweet for trying to lift my spirits Roe..."
"Don't say 'but', I haven't gotten to have brownies in a longgggg time! I'm a growing lad." Aurora had leaned down to cup her son's cheeks and placed a kiss at the top of his head.

"I suppose that'll be for after dinner then?"
"I was thinking for right now." His mother was silent for a moment or two and then smirked, the two could surely use a pick me up.

Cara, who was much more interested in another project didn't mind not being invited for the cooking of brownies. If anything she's made more complex meals with Romulus to really want keep making brownies.

Ronan and his mum enjoyed their ice cream while watching a movie, Cara joined in wanting a treat as well.

Lori and Rabastan had soon found themselves watching the movie as well, and the traditional father who was raised on the purest of any standards had leaned into his wife to share that he did rather like this television contraption.

Though this one was a slight mention it was muggle and none. Even if it was a movie from the wizarding world, it was still on a muggle device.

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Date Posted: 08-29-2020

Time: 9:17

Words: 3557

Okay but Papa Raba anyone? The fluff in the chapter had me crying, gah this family is so precious. What do you guys think?

I actually don't know how to play chess so hopefully I managed well enough 😂😂

And what do we think of the twins being Ravenclaws? Shocked? Upset?

Let me know!!