✧STILL RESTLESS PT.2✧

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"Right then, I'm going to wash up. Best check on them, when it's a full house it's much worse trying to find something for dinner. And if all else fails to tell them I'll make Mac & Cheese, that's usually the easiest thing to get their attention." 
"How so?" He questioned, curiosity getting the best of him.

"I don't make it often and they can put their own additions on after." He leaned in to kiss her cheek and she rolled her eyes. "I smell like a cauldron Raba." 

"Smells like hard work to me." An amused glint in her eyes shined bright as she turned away—Though the smile hadn't dwindled in any sense.

***

Rabastan had felt entirely uplifted as he walked down the hallway and to the children's wing. Though it was simply their bedrooms, plus their attached playrooms.

He had a bet going with Avery and McNair that Romulus' was going to convert his to a potion's lab in a few years.

"YOU GOT TO PICK DINNER LAST TIME!"

"NO! AUNTIE PHOEBE COOKED THAT MEAL!"

"Oi could you two just pick!"

"Shut it Ronan, you picked lunch twice this week!

"Could you all just bloody please pick something, gods it shouldn't be this hard to—" Imara had enough of the 'big brother' attitude, it caused an enraged sister to come and tackle him. Even if there were bean bags in Cara's room, that still didn't mean that was acceptable.

"Imara! Stop!" Ronan called out, both he and Cara jumped from their positions to try and pull the two off one another. Rabastan finally understood what it meant that Imara wasn't as shy as one would expect, especially when she pounced like that.

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL IS ALL THIS?!" His voice boomed, and all the children had stilled with their actions. Cara already crying as she was always against her siblings fighting, but Imara had instantly gotten off her brother and the young lad had straightened out his clothes while giving her a dirty look.

"Had I done this when I was any of your ages I would've been sent to bed without supper! Imara? What did I just witness?" The young witch had looked to her father and looked away before glaring at her brother.

"He's acting all posh when he's not!"

"I do not pretend to be posh!"

"Yes you—" 

"ENOUGH!...Your mother asked me to check in on what you lot want for dinner, and I assumed it wouldn't be that much of a challenge to get something wrangled out of you four. But I stand correct! What blasted is the problem?!"

Romulus recalled that he and his brother were rightly far in age, though he had to assume he was right about the no dinner aspect.

As their own mother used it as a punishment as well.

"Imara, off to your room." 
"What?!" She had been so distraught over said punishment, and it caused her to fight back and question said decision.

Which did not pass well with Rabastan.

"Now!" He pointed out the door and the twin's hair sparked widely in different shades of colors as she hurried to her room in a fit of tears. Which caused Rabastan to turn to the rest of them.

"Is it that bloody hard to pick what's for dinner?" 
"That's why Lori's over McNair's," Cara mumbled as she started picked up what had fallen off the nightstand when Imara and Romulus collided against it.

"Does she do this often?" 
"No. But I think she was feeling left out in not making plans with anyone." Rabastan could understand it, hell it was what Aurora herself dealt with.

Regulus would go to his friend's house while Aurora was expected to stay home, so he knew why she adored traveling now...But that still was no excuse for Imara's behavior.

"Right then, Cara do you need help cleaning up?" 
"No, it's okay, I got it—Oh." She sniffled lightly, still slightly shaking for the screaming that occurred a moment ago. But she held up a broken glass figurine.

"Papa, could you fix it?" He kneed down beside his daughter and wordlessly waved his wand to have the figurine dance and recollect the shattered bits back together. "There, good as new." 

"Uncle gave us each one...Maybe I'll move it elsewhere, it was foolish of me to put it there." 

"Not like you knew Imara was going to tackle me." Romulus said as he attempted to fix his disheveled hair.

"She did what?!" Aurora had walked in at the wrong time, and all those in the room had faltered at the high sheik of their mother. But it was another thing for Rabastan to be so distraught overhearing it.

"Romulus?" 
"We were just picking what to have for dinner, and sure there was a bit of yelling but—"
"But Rommy didn't even say anything really Mummy." Rabastan nodded in confirmation which caused Aurora to storm out to find the eldest daughter.

"Uh oh..." Cara whispered, and Roe shook his head. "It's alright carebear, it'll—"
"It won't pass, she's never going to speak to me again!" The daughter cried, and Rabastan scoffed.

"You have a right to have an opinion Cara, Imara isn't in charge of the manor. Your mother is." Romulus smirked at what his father had said, though hid it from his father. Even if it was slightly hilarious.

While Aurora, on the other hand, hadn't bothered knocking on her daughter's door, only to find that her daughter hadn't gone to her bedroom.

"Daisy, get the map!" She screamed, and the elf was quick to fulfill the task their mistress had ordered. And it had taken all of too seconds to find that she was out in the treehouse.

"Why is it that every child listens but you Imara..." She whispered to the map and hid it within the back of her leggings. Apperenting to the bottom of the Treehouse she took the steps two at a time before peeking into the door.

Of course this had to be even more difficult as the young witch was crying, so whatever amounted anger that Aurora had was extinguished with a sigh of defeat.

"Imara Lestrange, you know the rules about being out here without asking." Having taken a better look at her daughter she recognized the sign of a growing panic attack, so she went down to her daughter's side and soothed her through it.

Whispering that she wasn't mad was all she could do in the moment, but Imara hadn't faltered.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry I pushed h-him." 

"Yes love I know, but even at that moment you aren't allowed to push your brother. Especially when he hadn't done anything wrong." Pulling her daughter to her chest and running her hands through her hair was the best strategy she could come up with at the moment.

And it was finally starting to sink in.

"Do I not get any dinner now...B-because I pushed Rommy?" 

"And where on earth did you conjure up that idea lovely?" 

"Papa said if he—if he behaved l-like I did...He wouldn't get anything to eat." Aurora knew well enough the number of times Sirius went up without supper and it was up to Reg and her to smuggle something, but then again Aurora had gone her whole adolescence life thinking that eating would result in an unflattering figure.

And Aurora would be damned if that was the case with her and her children.

"Of course you are getting dinner, now it might not be what you asked for. But you are getting dinner and that is final. Now and in the future, that is never going to be a punishment." It was all she needed to start breathing comply again, but of course it didn't help that Rabastan didn't know that sending Imara to her room was not the way to handle a situation like that, it was usually best to have the room clear in an attempt of an opposite reaction.

"Papa sent me to my room." 
"Yes I know, Papa doesn't know how this works just yet. But promise me you won't tackle any of your siblings again."
"I promise."
"And this will be all of your siblings but there is absolutely no more fighting about what to eat for dinner or I will gladly pick for you lot." She inhaled a bit of clarity and smiled when she felt a calming rush revive her.

"Okay mum." 
"Good. Now what do you want on your mac & Cheese?"

Back on in the house, Rabastan had stared in wonder at the kitchen. It was true, he hadn't known how to make a pot of tea, at thirty-one years old he had never made his own kettle or a single cup.

As Aurora watched her children makeup and find that it wasn't simply Imara who was arguing she decided that perhaps she needed to reprimand them a bit more.

Romulus nor Ronan never really voiced their anger before, perhaps in Rommy's case it was his distaste for his father and not wanting to return. But she's never witnessed one of these fights herself, usually she's only come to the end or realized that one of them lied about what they had agreed upon to eat for dinner.

Aurora decided that she was just going to cook a meal that they could agree on, Mac and cheese where they can choose the add-ons.

What she hadn't realized either, was that Rabastan was waiting in the kitchen for her. Or not waiting, but working on meeting up with her.

"Raba I should've—" 
"Could you show me how to make tea?" He questioned, but it was that simple to release the built-up tension. She summoned the kettle to her hand and shot out the burner to erupt.

"I usually add extra water to the children's after it's done brewing, just to water it down. But it's not at all hard to understand Raba." 
"But I've never done it before." She smiled towards him just when the water reached up to the invisible notch that she usually fills it up to.

Continuing off towards the burner did she place it off to the burner and then waved her hand. "Halfway there." She passed him the small tin that contained the leaves, usually Aurora added her tea leaves after the boiled was done because she sat with her tea for hours on end.

However she handed him a small strainer and he narrowed his brow between the two. "Depends how strong you want it, I might fill the little ball fully. But perhaps leave a bit of room at the top." He followed her instructions while she went ahead and gathered the ingredients for either dinner.

She surely would make enough as she wanted a side of it as well, it wasn't all that hard considering it consisted of making a fine cheese sause, pasta and her own meal with her husband.

"Rabastan, water won't boil if you continue to watch it." 
"That cannot be true."
"Every time you open the top the heat escapes, but you could put it in now." He opens it one last time and drops the metal device down into the semi bubbling water.

He felt rather proud of himself, but that was before he had turned around to see Aurora dominating about four different meals at once.

"The children are getting pasta?" 
"Hmm, usually it's for special occasions, I wouldn't be surprised if Cara asks for it for her birthday...But with Mac and cheese, Romulus likes a bit of spice so he adds peppers in after...And it's easy to make when I need a lot of servings and don't have a lot of time." He understood that the shift in tastes is what made dinner difficult to pick what to eat for everyone.

Which is probably why she and him were eating steak.

"It took the children a few times to understand how to brew it, please don't feel discouraged." 

"Ah yes, that my children were able to cook you a feast for your birthday while I couldn't brew a simple kettle. I'm passed discouraged."

"Raba I didn't just wake up knowing how to cook, I had many trials and errors. I couldn't count how many burnt dinners I've ruined because Lori was screaming for my attention. By the end of the year I hope you'll cook me a dinner." He felt revived, how bloody brilliant would it be if he managed to make her something, and so he smiled brightly—Perhaps brighter than he's had for a long while.

"Hey mum?" 

"Down in the kitchen love! Everything alright?" Romulus knew to call out to his mum, after the hundreds of times of scaring her without warning they figured out a method.

"Do you need any help?"
"I think I've got it handled love, did you finish that study guide Salem gave you?" She questioned as she moved the wooden spoon to stir the pasta, and Romulus was completely silent as he allowed his mother to think about her question.

"Sorry, when did you finish it?"
"Few days after, and I already had Auntie Pheebs check it." He watched in pure amusement that his mother pouted while his father looked in pure shock.

"You lot are absolutely mad, I would've paid for your mother's help back in Hogwarts."
"Really?" While Aurora was grumbling to the food as the boys had taken a seat near one another.

"Course, and I wasn't the only one either. I'm sure you're familiar with the examinations that you'll have in Hogwarts?" Romulus thought for a moment and nodded. "Fifth year right?" 

"And seventh, there's the OWLS and then the NEWTS. I think I only passed because of your mother's study guides." Aurora scoffed into the boiling pot as she turned back.

"You don't only get my smarts Romulus, your father is just as capable of learning. Those tests are designed—"
"—To bloody kill you." 
"They are designed to test the limits...If you cannot produce a charm at the command they give, would you do it when you needed to?" Romulus realized that they were designed to test you and show a level of competency.

"I just don't understand the grading." 
"Ah that'll be fun, there are passing and failing. And there's three levels in each." Rabastan hadn't taken into account that everything would be different for the children, but then if it was one way for them—Aurora had to translate it all back when she attended Salem then to Hogwarts.

"Why can't they just have the number system like America?"
"I'm intrigued, a number system?"
"Yeah, there's A through F. And there's three for each letter, and the number you score on a test or quiz translates to a plus, nothing or a minus." Rabastan took the information for a moment and shrugged his shoulder.

Romulus soon took out a quill and notepad and struggled to find a free space in the blasted thing. "Need a new one already love?"
"Not yet...But soon" He shot back at his mother who was damn near enjoying this.

"So there's an A-plus, a simple A and then an A-minus. Which is between the numbers of one hundred and ninety. Those are the highest."
"And that translates to what in Hogwarts?" Aurora turned back to the two as she was beginning to drain the pasta in the sink into a strainer.

"Outstanding would be an A, then Exceeds Expectations would be a B. Then acceptable is a C." It took his mum a few moments to recall the grading system, and while he waited in patience Rabastan had taken a peek at the tea.

"Poor would be D, Dreadful would be F."
"Isn't there a troll?" Aurora shook her head and pointed the wooden spook off in his direction. 

"Not in this household there isn't, that calls for me to storm Hogwarts and studying the rest of the next holiday." Rabastan was in fear if any of his children would gain a troll as a grade, he wouldn't mind as much...Perhaps history of magic if Professor Binns was still teaching.

Who was he kidding, he sure as hell would be.

"What about Divination?"
"That's the only one." 
"What about—"
"Romulus." His mother knew he was being a little smart, but it was only because he hadn't been allowed to help her cook.

However Rabastan was taken back by the amount of his notes his son was taking, his handwriting was a mix between a few, and he could recognize his wife's anywhere.

"Did your sister apologize?"
"She did, I know she didn't mean it. Her eyes were flashing." Aurora hummed, having forgotten that was a factor. Imara was indeed a troubled child, but it was indeed a mix of anxiety and a version of ADHD.

Though that was just something Aurora would need to abide by, she too suffered from her own OCD. Though it was a blessing when her assistant introduced her to muggle mental diagnostics, it made sense in recognizing it rather than ignore it.

"I have to wait until my second year to play quidditch yeah? That's what the Winchester children told me at least." 
"Yeah, that's our graduating classes' fault." Aurora turned back to look at Rabastan and he threw his hands into the air.

"Oi, they had it coming." 
"Who? Who had what coming?"
"Slytherin and Gryffindors is a century-old feud at the least."
"But why?" Rabastan knew it the answer, it having to do with the entry of who was allowed to attend Hogwarts. Which ultimately had Salzar kicked out of the original four, a pity sure, as his voice was a beautiful change for a better future.

Yet now it sound like a waste of a brilliant mind.

"Well Quidditch gets rightly heated, no matter what team you're on."
"Unless it's Hufflepuff." 
"I dunno Raba, there's been a few games I remember they were vicious." Romulus watched as his father bobbed his head, not denying said claims that his mum had made. But after the combined list between his parents on why the Gryffindors and Slytherins hated one another, it caused him to question out about the other houses.

"Did Slytherin hate Ravenclaw?" 
"No we were the only ones safe in the castle. That and nobody could ever deny my help studying—Only my own bloody children." She grumbled the last but Romulus heard she just fine and so he groaned.

"Mum, do you want to check it?" 
"No, I'm not qualified."
"Mum I'm sorry. Please check it." Rabastan held his head in his hands attempting to stop the onset of laughter, the boy was attempting to apologize in all the wrong ways. But went so far as to hug her from behind and change his hair to grey.

"Please?" 
"I suppose..."
"Brilliant, could you hide it too. I think Imara was snooping for it."
"Romulus, that's a very strong accusation to point at your sister."
"Well why else would she be looking in my folder?" Aurora claimed she would check with Imara later and find out the truth while Aurora started putting everything in bowls and such.

"Could you get your siblings love, everything will be on the table when you lot come down." The lad hurried out of the kitchen without another word while Aurora charmed everything to follow her out to the table.

"Coming Raba?" He turned back for a moment to respond, but then the whistling sense had caused him to jump—Almost falling over the small breakfast table that Aurora had placed in here a few mornings ago.

"FINALLY!" She smiled softly before wicking her wand off to enchant it to set the table by itself.

"Brilliant, though the children don't drink tea for dinner usually. I'll take a cup." He grinned brightly.

"I plan to make you that dinner love, eventually."
"I look forward to it. We'll start cooking pasta, I promise they aren't as hard as they look." He had been sitting right in the room the entire time watching her make the children's meal of pasta and cheese sauce, but the smell in the room was absolutely mouth-watering that he followed after her like a mindless zombie.

The children were either hungry or curious—Or both, to see what would be for dinner. But Cara squealed in seeing her favorite meal as well, though she hadn't thought of it before.

"Now then, I am deeply disappointed in the lot of you. Romulus, Ronan, Cara...you know not to rile up your sister. And Imara, you know to leave if you are feeling worked up." Nobody dared moved to grab the serving spoon, neither did Rabastan considering he hadn't cooked this meal she should get the first bite.

But what Aurora had done next had caused Rabastan to almost crack, she put her hand up to ear, signifying that she wanted a response.

And thus a chorus of 'yes mum' had followed, only then did she sway her hand out for them to start eating.

"Oh love, sit next to me will you?" She motioned to Cara and thus the youngest daughter in the manor had taken the seat beside her mum and continued on adding a share of bacon and extra cheese to the already gooey pasta.

"Try some." Aurora beckoned, adding a spoon onto his plate before he could rightly dignify a response. "Mummy, could you make this for my birthday?" 

"What? No pizza?" She grinned, and Cara was now in a damned thought as she couldn't rightly decide.

"We could have pizza at ours Cara, if you want Mac and cheese." Imara offered, and Romulus nodded eagerly. Seems like everything was right in this household now, and Rabastan hummed in delight as he went for another bite.

"We should have this more often." He agreed and Aurora giggled behind her hand, a sound that graced everyone's ears and allowed them to smile brightly.

Rabastan had a chilling realization that this is what his family would've looked like, yet the lack of Lori was unsettling and strange...It wasn't the same without her being present.

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Date Posted: 04-27-2020

Time: 9:39

Words: 3761

Author's Note:

Quarantine is finally getting to me, I would love some book recommendations for HP or FBWTFT fics! 

I've had the urge to write a Newt Scamander fic, but Idk yet 🤷‍♀️

Let me know what you thought of the chapter, I'm having trouble with where I want the story to go before the Golden Trio Era takes place.

✌️Stay safe 💕