✧BACK TO NORMAL...ALMOST✧

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Lucky for the twins that the rest of their siblings returned and allowed some of the attention off of themselves. And it aided their father when Lori wanted to tell him absolutely everything she was up to with Rosa, they played with dolls who apparently went on an adventure.

They had tea with their stuffies and made cookies with Auntie Evie.

It sounded like a brilliant time, and from Aurora herself it was usually what she would do at her cousin's house or her friend's houses in America.

He was at least happy that the children—for the most part—were adapting to all that's in front of them. As moving to another country was something he's never done before, hell he's barely lived in France and only visited. Rabastan listened to all of Aurora's advice, that this will pass in the coming days and blow over.

But his fear still rallied with the other children being angry as well, if his little girl in his arms ever looked at him as scared or as livid as the twins...He didn't know how to come back from there.

Cara and Ronan both felt the tension, but they wrongly assumed that Imara had gotten a little stressed with the looming send off to Hogwarts. So it was up to Roe to go and investigate as Cara was itching to brew something, and that at least gave Rory a distraction in teaching.

Romulus was simply caring for Odin in the comfort of his room, his mum right...His bedroom became the safe haven that he always wanted, he had free reign over what was placed in here and where.

It was indeed bigger than his room in America, but this whole house was almost beating Salem's school if he was being honest.

A knock was issued, though it was such a Roe thing to do to just stroll in after a few second warnings. He smirked to his brother as he said a small greeting before Ronan crossed his arms over his chest.

"What happened." He ordered, and he supposed that the Lestrange name had already gone to his brother's and so the eldest chuckled. "What do you mean?"

"Gods Romulus I can feel how strange everyone is acting, what happened?"
"I'm not allowed to talk about it."

That was a red flag for sure.

"Bullshite, mum looks upset and father...Father looks miserable. I hadn't even been gone that long!"
"Ronan, I seriously cannot speak about it. Mother said not to."
"Mother said not to? And I'm supposed to believe that?" Rory wanted to ask Romulus if he wanted to join in on the brewing, and thus strolled towards the semi-open door at the wrong time.

"Mother did say not to speak about it, and she doesn't like to be referred to as that. Does she?" She looked between her boys and kissed the top of Ronan's head as she hadn't been there to greet the children when they arrived.

"Romulus, did you want to brew with me and your sister? We're taking stock on the labs downstairs." He remained silent and then nodded at the idea.

Perhaps that was what he needed to do to clear his mind.

"Don't suppose you've sudden got a liking for potions since the last time?" She asked Ronan while Romulus pulled out his brewing clothes and hid behind the changing screen.

"Nah, but Cara shared that manual from Britain to American ingredients. I should take another look at that before the semester starts." Aurora smiled brightly, at least the children at least tolerated potions as opposed to her own mother.

"Romulus nor Imara are allowed to discuss what we talked about, when you are their age your father and I will talk to you and Cara as well."
"But that isn't fair! It made you and papa upset!" Ronan shouted in retaliation, and Romulus looked even more guilty than before.

"And you don't argue with the rest of your sisters? Come now it'll pass, and who knows...Maybe it'll end up the same way when you and Cara are in their place." Although Ronan made comments that he'd act much more mature, both Romulus and Aurora found themselves looking at one another with an unsure sense of dread.

When Ronan went his separate way to occupy his time, Aurora led Romulus down to the labs. It was silent until his mother turned to look down at him.

"Thank you for not telling him."
"You told me not to, I get that mum I really do. Uncle McNair said that there was a lot going on at the time and it was a big mess. I was too harsh on you and father."
"That's the thing Rommy, you weren't. I did my part to protect you babes and Lori in my tum because that's what I always put before him and perhaps even your father."
"You put us before father?"
"You were my babes, all of you. And you still are, even you won't let me squeeze your cheeks anymore. You are always my lil babes, best remember that as well."

"Alright mummy." She grinned, and it did indeed earn him a pinch to his right cheek.

It wasn't that she did it roughly, it was just such a childish thing to do. He was eleven damnit!

"Do you know a Mr.Travers?" She turned to look down to her son and she hummed out loud in thought. "I don't believe I do, but you know I'm much better with faces than names."
"He knew you and father, he thought we were McNair's children."
"Ah, and how did he respond to your introduction?" Romulus looked back at the interaction and frowned.

"He said that it's about time we've returned...And asked if you're still fit."
"Hmm, unfortunately that doesn't really help, there's a lot of fowl blokes who liked to flirt with your mother."
"What? Why?"
"Because the gentlemen here are completely different than those in America." Romulus thought for a moment, the fellow did act as if he was joking but that still didn't make it better.

"Was father a gentleman?"
"Yes he was, and he still is...When I was pregnant with you and Imara he always wanted to help me. Merlin was it annoying, I couldn't ask an Elf for a blanket without making him feel uninvolved." Course the son didn't see the merit in it, but Aurora smiled as she remembered that moment.

"So did the Elf get the blanket?"
"No I did, your father was asleep and I tried waking him up. But I think Cara got her' father's sleeping habits." Cara had indeed heard and she looked at both the newcomers with her hands on her hips.

"I have father's sleeping habits?"
"Oh darling if there was an earthquake you wouldn't wake up if the ceiling collapsed." The child gawked at her mum and brother as the two were snicker in front of her.

"Mama that's mean!"
"Not at all, I wish I had that, I can only unlock that ability if I fall asleep at my desk." The two knew the truth in that regard. And thus the three managed to sort the likes of their mother's lab.

Although it was a little dated, it was beautiful. And Aurora adored the aid the children gave as they acted rather serious in each and every task they were given.

Rabastan had heard from the grapevine that Aurora had the children brewing downstairs, and out of sheer boredom and being in need of taking a walk after being almost coursed into wearing mummy's stollen lipstick, he decided he needed a break.

But it was alright as it gave Imara the chance to play mummy and baby—Though it was almost horrifying to see his daughters try and take care of a plastic doll, feeding it and taking to make pretend scenes.

Surely it was just all make-believe and he wouldn't have to worry about his children having children just yet...Right?

Knocking at the door did he take a peek into the room to see the band of potion masters all mulling over their cauldrons until Cara had spotted her father.

"Papa you have to wear a mask!" She cheered, stepping down from her small stool and rushing to the cabinet to retrieve one for him.

"Thank you darling, and what are we cooking up?" He asked, allowing her to lead him over to her workstation as Aurora had finished measuring something for Romulus.

"Cleaning products." Merlin Rabastan was sure to get a headache.

"Cleaning...Products?" He questioned, and it was slightly muffled behind his mask as he sounded out the words. And Aurora tried to hide her judging smile and laughter, though it failed terribly.

Rabastan probably hadn't had to clean anything in his life.

"And what type of cleaning products?"
"For potion supplies, mum says Hogwarts has mentions where they make students clean the cauldron with a brush." Rabastan hummed in clear recollection of those times.

"Papa did you get detention?"
"Suppose there were a few times. My mates and I were a rowdy bunch." The children turned to their mum in question, which caused her to tap her stirring rod at the side of the cauldron and look to her husband with a face that read 'really?'

That wasn't something she wanted the children to think was okay behavior.

"Not to worry, I kept them in check when I could. Gave enough smacks upside the heads or I simply ignored them. It drew your father mad."
"Mad? It drew me off the bloody railings!" The children smiled at the bickering couple, especially as their father surname to the entire ordeal by wrapping his arms around Aurora and locked his head onto her shoulder.

Trying to understand what they were attempting to accomplish.

Come dinner time it was a much lighter affair, the conversation was light and flowed. Though Imara and Romulus stayed much too silent for their mother's taste that she went ahead and found them both camped out in Romulus' room.

And that is what prompted her to bring in two warm cups of milk, a few biscuits and a cup of tea for herself.

Knocking the on the door did the two stare up in confusion, until a soft smile erupted in complete and utter sync.
"You know when you two were wee babes, I always worried that you both could talk to each other secretly. And now I'm starting to believe that." She argued but came to sit with them on the floor, not caring if her dress wrinkled or if it was slightly inappropriate to sit on the floor with her children.

But here she was, hanging out with them.

"Mum...What if we don't get Ravenclaw...Or Slytherin?" It was a question she was hoping wouldn't come but she smiled never the less, though on the inside she knew her heart was aching.

Of course it had to be Romulus who asked it as well, looking so much like Sirius that it was a painstaking blast to when she was eleven and they were getting ready for the train.

She remembered it all to well, it wasn't that she was scared for the school aspect that was all excitement and familiar. It was the sorting hat ceremony.

"Did you two read a Hogwarts a history?" They nodded, though they look so out of place that Aurora summoned the book from her son's shelf and leaned against the bed.

Either of the twins knew what this meant, and thus they went on either side of their mum. "Well hello Odin, I suppose you can sit there." She chuckled, the kitten knew all too well that the group was about to start reading that he acted as though he too was reading. The only issue was that it blocked Rory's view of the book.

"He likes listening to me read," Romulus said retrieving his cat from the blocking view he was giving, and he meowed in hatred.

Only to call Sterling to the party.

"Hogwarts was founded by four individuals, they took their own traits and formed four houses—That Ilvermorny shamelessly took upon their own inception but that's beside the point." She continued to flip through the book and told the story of Salzar Slytherin, and although he was largely on the idea of blood purity it does not mean that Slytherin was home to all evil.

And Ravenclaw was not home to all the intelligent students. "Merlin there was this one lad, I wish I remember his name. Perhaps your father remembers. But he was simply unteachable, he surprisingly managed to graduate from the work he stole from others. I'm almost a hundred percent positive he stole a magical creatures notebook of mine."
"At least you didn't have any wolfsbane attempts in there." Romulus added, and Aurora smiled down to her son.

"I didn't start wolfsbane until—Well actually there might've been." Imara looked up to her mother in complete and utter awe, and it matched that of Romulus as well.

"You were working on Wolfsbane in Hogwarts?"
"It was just one of many side projects munchkins, I was horribly wrong with everything...This is an important secret munchkins, that I need you to be very quiet about. But one of my best friends in Hogwarts was inflicted with the Lycanthropy and I tried to help him." They were stricken with a load of questions, and Aurora looked to her eldest son and held onto his name for dear life.

Perhaps she would tell them about Remus Lupin, but today was not one of those days.

"Oh we don't talk any more darlings, I haven't seen him long before we left America...It's a shame I know, he was a dear friend."
"Was papa friends with him?"
"No Imara, he was a Gryffindor. He was one of your Uncle's best mates." She shared her experience and memories, telling them secrets about hidden areas of the castle that would make perfect studying locations if one wanted to be alone.

She thought about gifting the two the Marauder's map that she copied, but then how would she look upon them? No, they were too young—Aurora and the group hadn't managed until their third year, then it would be reason enough to give them one and copy another for herself.

And it'd be even better once it'd be the first year that Ronan and Cara follow in as well.

Rabastan had been on the hunt for his wife, luckily now he had the children to ask if they've seen her. But alas none knew where she was, and it was only a blessing to see that she walked out of Romulus' room with a tray of empty glasses.

"Everything alright love?" He questioned, and Aurora gave the biggest smile.
"Yep, usually a warm glass of milk gets any of the children to fall asleep. Imara's tucked in with her brother." He grinned at the idea of them being close, and he knew Aurora dreamed of all the children were this bonded with one another.

Rabastan led her to their bedroom, she looked monstrously tired and did have a difficult week and getting to bed now was the best choice. Even if he had to convince her that nothing comprehensive would be getting done tonight, and after all the light arguing...Aurora fell asleep close to instantly when her head hit the pillow.

And while he had been getting ready in the other room he had heard the door creak open—Had Aurora truly lied to sneak away?

Gazing out into the bedroom he saw that she was still sleeping soundly and thus he continued with his nightly routine. However the route of his confusion was met when dear sweet Lorelei grinned up to her father as she was lying underneath the covers in the center of the bed.

Her own pillow and stuffie had been brought as well.

"How did you possibly do that love?" He breathed in confusion, and it caused Lori to rise up while holding onto her stuffie.

"I'm sneaky."
"Hmm, and who do we have here?"
"My doggie, his name is Paddy. He doesn't like to have tea though, you haven't met him." He chuckled as he found himself sitting in the bed.

Gods was she adorable.

"I don't know if mummy's going to like that you keep joining us in bed darling."
"But I can't ask if she's sleeping." She was right and she knew it, he'd have to be careful as she did have a quick wit in responding in her own favor.

Aurora was right on that end as well.

"And what are we going to do when you're in Salem Lori..." He came in closer, holding her close and making her squeal.
"Shh, mummy's sleeping. We have to go to sleep Lollie." She grinned deviously and settled back into her first position and went to hug Paddy once again.

"Goodnight Ma Cherie." He said, leaning down to kiss her forehead and then kissing Aurora's though she was long asleep.

"Kiss Paddy goodnight too?"
"Oh of course, but then off to sleep." She nodded quick enough and thus Lori had curled up into her pillow but nuzzled closer to his arm and he realized that even though he met the darkest horrors of the Wizarding world.

He was met with the sweetest joys in his life.

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Date Posted: 06-17-2020

Time: 12:11

Words: 3034

I'm so sorry for my lack of a schedule lately, I was counting on the summer to have free time to write but I'm starting to lose motivation. With the state of the world at the moment, I'm having trouble staying positive. 

Usually I distract myself by writing and I did have a little spike for Immer Weise, but every time I try and sit down to write for Immer Mutter I feel out of touch with these characters.

Hopefully this chapter lives up to the wait🥺 it's been a rough few weeks, hasn't it? I hope everyone is staying safe--Wearing masks--especially if you're protesting.

💕