Perhaps it was all in Renata's mind or maybe the Earth could sense that something was about to go awry, but it was suddenly chillier in the anticipated arrival of Alcina Abate. Of course, as James had stated previously, Adelmo came to warn her about their mother's visit, but Renata already knew since James had confided in her. However, Adelmo had a lot more of the details, such as their mother arriving in the early morning hours, where she would be visiting Adelmo first for breakfast. Their father would not be making the trip this time and the two Abate siblings could agree that it was probably a good thing because they were already reaching peak levels of stress with just the thought of one parent visiting.

Adelmo was troubled because Sirius was making it difficult for him to suppress his true feelings, especially when he came over that very same night, grabbed him by the shirt, and pulled him into a strong kiss right on the front steps of Adelmo's home. But while Sirius was free to make all the decisions he wanted to, Adelmo didn't feel as though he had that same freedom, especially if he wanted to remain in the good graces of his parents.

Sirius questioned why Adelmo wished to remain in their good graces if they weren't going to support him for the person he truly was and Adelmo couldn't come up with a proper response. The only thing he could say was that it meant a lot to him to be perfect in the eyes of his parents, it was really all he had ever known. Perfection wasn't just a goal, it was supposed to be maintained and it was expected of both of them. But at least, professionally, Adelmo was way ahead of the game in comparison to his sister. At least he had a job that his parents respected, Renata was not going to be so lucky.

That was leaving her to fret, to the point where she was practically chewing her nails down to the skin. Then she began fretting about the imperfect appearance of her nail bed, knowing her mother was probably going to scold her for that since nail-biting was a nasty habit. However, the most unfortunate aspect of it all was that Renata and Adelmo didn't see it as wrong that their mother had placed them in such a state. They didn't seem to understand that their parents should have never made them feel such fear of being imperfect in their eyes.

How they couldn't see it as wrong, James and Sirius didn't understand. Instead, they had to stand witness to both Renata and Adelmo telling them that it was just a form of tough love. That it was just the way they had grown up and they couldn't expect anyone else to really understand unless they had grown up in a similar household. But Sirius knew all about abusive households after coming from one, especially with his bat-shit crazy mother, Walburga and he knew that it wasn't just a tough love household that Renata and Adelmo were coming from.

"They're afraid, James," Sirius said with a shake of his head, " you can see it written all over their faces. They are actually terrified of their mother visiting because they think she's going to be disappointed in them. I mean, I can understand not wanting to disappoint your parents, but the amount of fear they are holding, right now as adults, it's not healthy. It just makes me wonder what was done to them when they didn't meet their parents' expectations, you know?"

James frowned, not even wanting to think about it at the time. He didn't even want to let Renata go to her brother's house early that morning as she went to help him prep the flat for the visit. She had been so nervous the day before that there was nothing he could say to comfort her and she had tried to put on a brave face for him, to assure him that nothing was wrong. But James could see right through it.

"I asked her," he said, " I asked her if they did anything to them when they didn't follow the exact words of their parents, but she said no. Nothing more than a firm voice or the express of disappointment-"

"I don't believe that for a second," Sirius scoffed. "I don't believe that at all. Not with the fear those two expressed."

"So what do you think it is?" James questioned as he watched Harry play with his toys in the living room, hoping that he wasn't listening to the conversation. "Do you think...do you think they were hit as children?"

Sirius had experience with such things, even though he normally never spoke about it after he was freed from his original household. "I don't know," he said, " I can't make assumptions like that. But I know something had to be done to them, for them to be so afraid, to feel like they have to be perfect in all aspects...there has to be another element that we haven't figured out yet."

"Well, Renata's coming back over here afterwards," James said, " I told her to bring her mother along, although I don't think she liked that plan very much. She didn't get any sleep last night, any good sleep. She ended up sleepwalking out here, crying on the sofa until she woke up Harry and myself. We had a good day yesterday, I thought she was going to be fine, I thought I had reassured her enough that everything was going to be alright-"

"James, you can't blame yourself," Sirius said, "it's not your fault. I'm sure Renata appreciated everything you did, but I think whatever is in store for them with their mother's visit, there really isn't anything anyone can say or do to make them feel better. I guess we're just going to see how this is all going to play out."

James glanced over at the clock on the wall, seeing that it was just about to hit nine that morning, meaning that Alcina Abate was probably already in town.

Across London, Renata and Adelmo were seated at the kitchen table inside Adelmo's flat, both of them completely silent and staring off in the direction of the front door. It was about twenty seconds until the clock struck nine and they knew their mother was going to be prompt in her arrival. Renata could feel her heart racing in her chest with every passing second, several times she had caught herself holding her breath before she stopped. She scolded herself for getting so worked up over a visit from her mother, after all, they both loved her greatly, they shouldn't have been acting as if Death was showing up on the doorstep.

However, the last time they had seen her mother, both of them had left Italy without saying anything and Alcina had expressed in her previous letters that she was disappointed in the choices they had made. But Renata knew if she had remained home she was just going to drive herself mad with being surrounded by the emotions of her parents, feeling worse than ever that she had failed in her career aspects.

Then there was Adelmo, who didn't give a clear reason as to why he left, even if Renata knew the reason. He seemed to be in the worst state out of the two of them, his hands shaking against the kitchen table to the point where the teacups that had been placed out rattled violently as if there was an earthquake taking place. Renata felt her own body shaking from his emotions, probably mixed with her own fear at the time. But it didn't stop her from going to reach out her hand and try to comfort him.

Adelmo pulled his hand away though when she was just an inch away from touching him, knowing that she was going to try to absorb the worst of what he felt. He didn't need his sister burden with his feelings at the time, whatever she was feeling was probably bad enough. Suddenly, as the five seconds remaining began the countdown, there was the sound of a faint crack outside of the front door, followed by three short and curt knocks.

Neither one of them moved from the table right away as they wanted to pretend that their mother had simply forgotten to show up and they could continue on with how they were currently living their lives. However, after three more knocks, it was Renata who braved herself to answer the door. Adelmo went to reach out and stop her, thinking since it was his place it was only right for him to answer, but he didn't grab her in time as she made her way towards the front of the home.

As soon as she opened the door, Renata felt her legs want to give way as she came face to face with her mother and not in a good way. At first, Alcina wore no smile on her face, allowing the wrinkles that had embedded themselves in her skin over the years to become extremely prominent paired with a frown. Her dark eyes met the light coloured ones of her daughter and for a moment, Renata fully believed if looks could kill that she would have been buried in a cemetery already.

"Mamma?" Renata greeted in a cautious tone as she held out her hands for a hug. It almost seemed that Alcina was about to reject the hug from her, however, within a span of just a few seconds, a smile formed on her face.

"Renata!"

Pulled into a sudden hug, Renata could feel her mother's arms wrap around her waist and held onto her tightly. There were words exchanged in Italian, that almost felt foreign to Renata as she had become so accustomed to speaking in English when it came to being surrounded by James and Harry all the time, not to mention everyone else in the country she currently lived in. For a moment, it was like she didn't understand what her mother was saying and then she made the mistake of not speaking back to her mother in her native tongue.

"Come inside, Adelmo has made tea."

With her back turned, Renata could not witness the cold look on Alcina's face as she spoke in English. Instead, she led the way inside where Adelmo was standing and offered a small smile in his direction. So far, things were going fairly well, at least, in her mind, but that was until it came time for Adelmo and Alcina to greet each other.

Renata stood awkwardly to the side as Adelmo and Alcina merely looked at one another, neither one of them making the first move to say hello. Without the exchange of hello's, Alcina started looking around the flat, the smile fading from her face instantly as she didn't look impressed at all.

"Mamma," Renata called to her, " you can come sit down-"

"So this is it?" Alcina cut her off and turned around to face the two. "This is what you two left home for? This is all that St Mungo's has provided you with, Adelmo? They made such a fuss to get you over here and this is it? This is the housing that they provided one of the top Healers-"

"It's only me living here," Adelmo replied quietly, " the accommodations are more than enough for just one person. I'm hardly here as it is, especially when I'm working double shifts."

"Suppose you get married though, would your wife be comfortable in such close quarters? What about your children? This place is inadequate to raise a family, Adelmo. That's what a woman looks for in a man, a stable career and a providing home. Is this how you plan on getting yourself a wife?"

Renata swallowed nervously as she stood off to the side and watched as Adelmo and her mother seemed to be holding a stare down with one another. It seemed Alcina was wasting no time in getting to the point of her trip, already making it a point to point out everything she found to be wrong. Her son being without a wife and children had been the first issue and now Renata was waiting for her turn.

"No, Mamma," Adelmo said, hanging his head low until Alcina walked over and placed her hand under her son's chin to have him look up at her.

"You should not have left home, Al," she spoke in a saddened tone, " your father and I could have helped you. There are plenty of nice women back home, you did not need to come all the way out here to find one."

Feeling how uncomfortable Adelmo was in that moment, having to brush aside everything he truly felt and knowing that he didn't want a wife, was practically killing Renata as she just stood there. It was making her head hurt and her chest ache, especially as Adelmo continued to steal glances in her direction. His eyes appeared watery and it looked like he hated himself at the time because he could hear all of his mother's expectations and yet, would he ever be able to live up to them?

After all, Renata knew her brother was not going to marry some woman he did not love just for the sake of making their parents' happy, he would never be able to forgive himself for leading on a woman like that. He couldn't be with someone he didn't love because it wouldn't be fair to the other person. While they were tied down to someone that didn't love them, it meant that they couldn't go out and find someone who would.

The pain was growing intense as Alcina spoke of one of Adelmo's old classmates that was currently single, a fellow Healer back home that left chills racing down Renata's spine.

Another Healer.

Or if he wasn't interested in her, the Rossi's daughter, Liliana was working for the International Magic Office of Law.

A member of the government.

"I suppose the only two missing from the selection that you're about to offer are either an Auror or a teacher!" Renata blurted out, bringing Adelmo and Alcina to look over at her wide-eyed. "Adelmo didn't come here to find a wife!"

Seeing the look on her brother's face, Renata realised she might have blurted out too much at the time, leaving her to take a step back, in a slightly cowering stance.

"I mean, I'm sorry, Mamma, I didn't mean-"

"Oh, Renata," Alcina frowned as she walked over and placed both hands on the sides of her daughter's face, holding Renata in place. "I know you're still upset about the Auror training, sweetheart, believe me, we were all disappointed. But your father and I have worked it out so that you can start the training up again. That's why I'm here, isn't that good news? You'll be able to get into the training and you'll be able to be an Auror. Adelmo, there is always an open spot at the hospital, so you can return home as well. None of this nonsense of being so far away. Your father and I miss the two of you so much-"

"Wait!" Renata placed her hands up, stopping her mother's rambling right away as if she had said nothing that was to be questioned. "What are you talking about? How can I enter the training again? I still have the blood phobia, I was dismissed for that reason, I can't just walk back in."

"Your father and I squared it all away, Renata, you don't have to worry about it-"

"But I still have the blood phobia, Mamma! It hasn't gone away, in anything, it's grown worse!"

"Well, of course, it has. You left home before we could help you take care of it! Of course, it would become worse, you've let it fester this long. But we can get you the help you need and then you will be able to enter your training with no problem. The past will not be held against you. See? It's perfect-"

"I have a job," Renata said in a firm voice that caused the happy smile on her mother's face to curl downward instantly. "I have a job already."

Alcina's lips pursed together, her jaw tightening as she stared down Renata, who didn't seem as frightened as before, instead, they seemed to be having their own stare down all of a sudden. Renata and Adelmo had traded position as he stood there, looking extremely nervous.

"So I've heard," Alcina said, " a job as a nanny if I'm correct?"

Renata gave a curt nod of her head. "You are. Not only that, I've been dating-"

"Dating?! Who? Adelmo, you did not tell me that she has been dating in your letters-"

Renata glanced over at Adelmo, seeing that her brother apparently had been in contact recently with their mother to give her information, especially concerning her. He shot her an apologetic look before he looked down at the floor.

"Well, I have been and it's not Adelmo's business to tell you that, it's my own."

She could never recall a time where she had spoken to her mother in such a manner, but Renata couldn't help herself. Especially since her mother was trying to get her and Adelmo to just uproot their lives and go back home as if it was nothing.

"Well, do I get to meet the lucky man?" Alcina asked, almost as if she was challenging Renata, trying to see if Renata was telling the truth. Seeing as Renata already anticipated her mother's reaction and had spoken to James about it, a small smile appeared on her face.

"Yes, you get the honour of meeting him."