memory lane

[Bentley Beauregard]

The letter the Beauregard family had received earlier in the week had sent the entire family into a pleasant panic; Della especially. Their long time friend and adoptive brother, Shay, was back in town. They were excited to see him as it had been quite some time. Shay had come to live when them a while ago, he entered school a year ahead of Bentley, but the Beauregards had always considered him one of their own. Vincent had done business with Shay's father long ago, though under the guise of a muggle. When the Holwicks wanted nothing further to do with their son once they found his magic, Stella would not let the poor boy be shoved out into the magical world with no guidance or a caring family so she assimilated him into theirs effortlessly. Vincent liked to joke that they would take in half of England if he let her. However, Shay was a special case. They had never seen such a blatant disregard for family that shocked them so severely. They couldn't leave him alone like that.

It worked easily enough, Shay lived with them, went to school with them, shared a room with Bentley when they were younger, moved with them, then made his own mark on the world, and the whole family was proud of him. But now he was back in town and had let them know so naturally they were excited to see him. He has stopped in earlier in the day to see Stella, but Dell and Bentley had agreed to meet him for drinks later anyway.

The two siblings walked arm in arm down the lane toward the Hog's Head, glad for a night out. Bentley had missed his drinking buddy for a while now, but Dell had insisted she get to come along. He suspected she was half in love with their pseudo-brother, probably as she suspected he had feelings for Winnie. They were too close some times. Things that were meant to be secret were never really so because they always has some kind of intuitive guess that was more right than wrong. The other dead giveaway was that she had on one of her favorite, fancy dresses and had put her hair up nicely and even put on a smidgen of rouge. It wasn't like her, she rarely did that, only for parties. This must have been special for her.

"A little excited huh?" Bentley teased his sister as the strolled, approaching the bar. "You've never been here have you?" It occurred to Bentley that perhaps they should have gone to the Three Broomsticks, but he hadn't anticipated Della tagging along. It was meant to be drinks between the two men. Too late now. They'd get a table and be fine. Nobody was going to bother his sister tonight, not with both himself and Shay sitting right there.

  

[Adella Calendar]

Dell was beyond excited. Shay was back in town. It was exciting for the entire family. He was part of the family but had been away for so long. She understood his reasons for needed to get out on his own, it was something she desperately wanted to be able to do for herself, but couldn't. It wasn't exactly proper for a young woman to just take off and explore, not without a man at her side. She was jealous he had been able to go, but glad for him that he felt that he could. His childhood had been rough enough before he'd come to live with them, it was about time he was able to do what he wanted.

However, Della was happy to have him back. It had been strange for her, at 9 to suddenly have a brand new older brother. One was enough for her at that time, but she came to love Shay as her brother in time and the two were close. It was hard though to combat the other kind of love she had growing for him as they aged. It was hard not to notice how handsome he was or how funny he was. She suppressed the feelings for a long time, thinking it was best for the family. The last thing she wanted was for him to feel awkward in their home again. She moved on for a time, especially while they were at school, in different houses. She fancied other boys, but it always came back around to him. It was like her own sad fairy tale, but she couldn't help but hope there would be a happy ending sometime down the road.

So when the letter came and Bentley said he was meeting Shay for a drink, Adella insisted she be allowed to go. Her mother saw no problem with it, but Bentley wasn't so sure. Eventually, after a lot of grovelling, she was allowed to go. In her best and favorite green dress, a delicate choker with matching earrings, hair done up in an elegant chignon, Dell descended the stairs of their home looking like a million galleons. She wanted him to see the lady she had become, not the girl he grew up with. She blushed at the all-knowing smile her mother gave her as she bid them a fun time before they left. Her mother knew everything, they didn't even have to say anything. In all honesty Dell thought her mother was the best mother ever. It was a biased opinion of course, but nobody knew better about how to raise and educate children than Stella Beauregard.

As Della and Bentley made their way down the lane, she finally realized they weren't headed like the Three Broomsticks like she had imagined.

"A little excited huh? You've never been here have you?"

She could hear the mocking tone of his voice, but chose to ignore it. They were headed to the Hog's Head, a place she always been a little wary of, but with both Shay and Bentley with her, she would have no problems. It wasn't exactly the right kind of place to take a lady, she often heard of people getting in fights or other unfriendly conduct, like Gabe and his last endeavor here, but she had full confidence in her brothers.

"Of course I'm excited, Shay's home. It's been so long." It was hard not to sound wistful as she said that, but she managed to keep the sigh from her lips. They entered the pub and she was instantly at ease. There weren't many people in there, it appeared they had arrived before Shay so they took a seat at a comfy corner table, smiling as the waitress approached. "I'll have a glass of wine, white please." Dell had brought her own money for a drink, just one. She grimaced as her brother ordered a beer. She couldn't stand the taste or the way it made men act, but her brother had some class, so they would be fine. Looking around, she found it hard to just sit and wait. Getting ready and walking had been an active kind of waiting, but this was hard.

  

[Shaymon Ross]

Although Shay had wanted to get out of Hogsmeade and away for a little while after his graduation, as soon as he'd returned he felt the relief of being home again, and the pressure of living in the city lift from his shoulders. After graduation, he had received the 'pity-money' from his mother, in her poor attempt to reconcile for the way they had treated him when they found about his magic. He had taken the money, sure. He had needed it then, just out of school and heading into Auror training. He did not, however, forgive his parents for throwing him aside in favour of maintaining a good image. Even if they had expressed interest in wanting to speak with him, or get to know him, Shaymon wanted absolutely nothing to do with them.

He returned to London, where he'd been born, to do his Auror training. It had been quite a long time since he'd been back to the city. It reminded him of his childhood. The city swallowed him. Training swallowed him. The initial excitement of getting out on his own and into the city wore off rather quickly and the pollution, overpopulation and general prejudice of the city got to him day after day. He roomed with several other new graduates in small quarters in London, using some of the money he'd been given to get by, while the rest of it he had given to the Beauregard family for taking him in. He was forever grateful to Victor and Stella who had taken him and treated him like family. Not many would have done that, and he didn't let a day go by without thinking of where he would have been without them. On the streets maybe. He might not have even gone to Hogwarts. He might have hated his magic and himself if they hadn't taught him that there was nothing wrong with being a wizard, unlike what his parents would have had him believe.

He would not have let his visit go by unnoticed, so he had notified them in advance about his arrival. It wouldn't be like him to not make a bit of a fuss; he always liked to stir up a little excitement. He'd sent a letter by owl at the beginning of the week, and made plans to meet up with Bentley at the Hog's Head -- a usual haunt for them -- with plans to have dinner with the rest of the family on a different evening. He planned on remaining in Hogsmeade for some time, having been given an assignment in the area. He was on the hunt for a room to rent in the town. He would be giving the news to Bentley that evening.

He boots crunched through the snow as he made his way through the streets to the Hog's Head. He felt a little bit nervous, for reasons he couldn't explain, but then, perhaps it was only excitement for seeing them all again. Once he had a drink in him his nerves would be calm and he'd be his usual self.
He felt, maybe, that he felt this way because he had simply stayed away too long. The city, he felt, was clinging to him like a virus.

The pub wasn't too crowded, but it wasn't this fact that allowed him to spot Bentley right away. He was sure he would have noticed them if the pub had been packed. Sitting in the corner booth was Bentley, and with him, Adella. She looked out of place there, though comfortable enough in her seat with a glass of wine in front of her. She drew the eyes in the room. With her there he hardly noticed Bentley. He'd paused too long, and hadn't noticed the barmaid approach him. It took him a moment to find his words again, and when he did he asked for a glass of whiskey.

With more confidence than he felt, he waltzed across the room, placed his hands on the table and with that force, slid into the booth right next to Adella. Maybe not the gentlemanly thing to do, but since he had lived within the same household all throughout his youth with this beautiful creature, he felt he could be a little bit more daring than society might allow for this sort of thing.

"Dell," he started, turning to her, all grins, "you look absolutely stunning. At first I didn't recognize you." He was teasing of course. He couldn't mistake her for anything. The words came light and playful and he really was unaware if he caused any hurt in them. He reached across the table to clamp a hand around Bentley's upper arm, giving it a squeeze than a pat in greeting before dropping it and picking up Adella's hand in his own, so petite it fit nicely against his own. He brushed his lips over the back of her hand, letting himself indulge in the action a moment before he switched it to a playful kiss, letting her hand fall to her lap again. If they were standing, and in private he might have kissed her cheek. He might have picked her up and spun her around like he'd done when they were little.

As it was, he felt he might need to behave.

His drink arrived and he lift it in toast, grinning broadly across the table at his 'little-brother.'

"To being home again, right Brother?"

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

For Bentley it was not hard to see when Shay entered the building. His once lanky form had filled out from auror training, but he was unmistakable anyway. It had been strange for Bentley, at ten and always the oldest to have somebody else come join the family, then only for a short time before heading off to Hogwarts, but the two boys had gotten along instantly. It was nice to have somebody to share the oldest sibling duties with. Once Bentley had gotten to Hogwarts as well they had become pretty inseparable. It as nice having a partner in crime all of the time was something truly awesome.

Bentley laughed as Shay slid in rather roughly next to Della. The three of them had always been close, only three years apart, always lumped together as the oldest. They managed pretty well though, balanced one another out and generally had a good time together. He was always amused to watch Della and Shay together. The two of them really were quite the pair, kind of siblings, definitely friends and who knows what other kinds of feelings they harbored toward one another. It was never awkward, the two had always been flirtatious, Bentley suspected they had always had feeling for one another that they didn't one, understand or know how to express, or two, didn't want to ruin anything. It would be particularly interesting to see what would happen now that Shay was back.

He returned Shay's greeting with a hearty nod, reaching across the table in a gesture similar to his brother's. Shay looked good, a bit tired and worn, but good. The city must have been treading him well, or at least he was enjoying his job. Their mother had wanted to make a fuss over Shay's chosen profession, but couldn't, while she considered him a son, he was a grown man and could choose whatever career he had wanted without needing their approval. She hadn't been able to completely keep her worries to herself, but ha manged to refrain from nagging him about his choice. Bentley was positive his brother would be good at the job, though it was definitely not something he was good enough to do himself. Briefly he had entertained the thought, the two of them going off to auror training together, but it was short-lived. In all reality, Bentley would probably just end up getting one or both of them killed.

"To being home again." Bentley chorused, raising his glass in toast. It really was good to have Shay back around and he wondered if this was just a quick visit or more of an extended stay. "To what do we owe the pleasure of your company?" Bentley questioned, voicing his curiosity. It was nice to have him visit, sure, but if he was going to pop in and out, Bentley wasn't sure how Dell would handle that. They knew that with an auror in the family, no news was good news, but they still worried. "I owled Elsie, Harvey and the twins, they hope they get to see you while you're in town." Those four had never really known a time when Shay wasn't with them. Elsie was only six when Shay joined the family, so it was like he had always been in the family to them.

  

[Adella Calendar]

Della spotted him the instant he walked in the door. It was hard not to. He had changed ever so slightly, she could tell. He had always been handsome, but now he seemed so much more grown up. Auror training and living in the city had changed him, it wasn't overly obvious, but having known him for so long, it was obvious to her. She pushed those thoughts aside however, as he slid into the booth next to her, she leaned into him, briefly, enjoying having him near again.

"Dell, you look stunning. At first I didn't recognize you."

She could hear the teasing in his voice, knowing he was just kidding around with her, like old times, but it still made her heart swell just a little bit. He had always been charming, it made her laugh when they were in school to watch him flirt with girls. Then it hadn't made her jealous like it might have now. He never had much luck anyway,though more than Bentley. The two of them were always together at school, in the same house, same classes. Always doing their work, or goofing off together. She had been a little jealous that they got to spend so much time together at school, but found it had probably been good for her. It had forced her to make friends in her own house, to get out of their tight little circle a bit and expand her friends. There were friends from school that she treasured and may not have become quite as close with them if she had spent very waking moment with her brothers.

Her heart skipped a beat however, as he brushed his lips across the back of her hand. Fortunately she was wearing long sleeves so nobody could notice the goosebumps that had risen up all over her arm. It was an unexpected response, but just seeing him had made her heart race and she was trying desperately to keep things even between them. They had such a great relationship already that she didn't want to ruin anything by getting all lovey-dovey over him. There was no way he could return her affections anyway, they were like siblings after all.

She took a sip of her wine after they toasted one another, but remained silent as Bentley beat her to the question she was about to ask. The curiosity was immense. What was his job like? Had he been alright in the city? How was training going? Was it dangerous? She wanted to know he was at least safe. His career choice had caused her a lot of stress when he first announced his idea. Dell had been so concerned, but couldn't express it without losing her composure. She knew her mother worried as well, but Stella had been much more able to articulate her thoughts without alienating Shay. He was after all, though they considered him family, an adult, capable of making his own choices and while he assured them he'd be so good at it, he'd be fine, Dell still worried.

Subconsciously, she leaned into his side, seeking both the warmth and reassurance that he was really there and alright.

  

[Shaymon Ross]

There was the question, and as he felt Della lean into him it affected his response, and he knew he had done the right thing in this. He did feel like he had failed somehowà that his job wasn't living up to his expectationsà that he didn't know anymore why he was doing it besides the adventure and excitement. But he couldn't voice these things to them, not yet anyway. He knew they were worried. Stella, especially. He had felt terrible, in the beginning, and now that feeling was beginning to return.

What was he doing?

"I'm moving back!" He announced, raising his glass for another round of cheers. He clinked his glass with theirs û reaching across the table to Bentley's before he could even raise it û then settled back into the seat, extra conscious of Adella's heat beside him. "I've transferred to the Hogsmeade division. I'm renting a room until I can find something a little more permanent." As it was, with his money, he probably would stay with the cheaper option for some time. He didn't need to live anywhere more luxurious.

"They needed someone out here, so I was transferred." This little addition wasn't actually true. In fact, he had sought out a transfer. He had asked for one, specifically, and then spent a few months waiting for the decision to come down from his superiors. They didn't really have any space in Hogsmeade, and he would probably get less hours here, maybe even less payà but he had took it without really thinking about these things.

But admitting defeat wasn't something he really wanted to do. He had always tried to sound cheerful in his letters to the Beauregard's. Bentley especially. They had been incredibly close, and Shay told him everything. Nearly everything. He wouldn't tell him how he thought his decision to go to London and be an Auror might have been a poor choice.

He had wanted to get away, and he wanted to do something with himself. He wondered if they ever detected how much he hated London. How much he wanted to come home. He tried not to let it show.

He turned and grinned down at Adella, putting an arm around the back of the booth, nearly about her shoulders. "You thought you got rid of me, but I'm afraid I'm back again." He glanced across the table at Bentley then, "You can see as much or as little of me as you wish."

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

"I'm moving back! I've transferred to the Hogsmeade division. I'm renting a room until I can find something a little more permanent. They needed someone out here, so I was transferred."

While Bentley was glad to hear the news, one, it meant they could all stop worrying and two, it meant he'd have his best mate back. However, he was more interested in his sister's reaction to the news, but tried not to make it obvious. Instead, he grinned broadly at Shay, and raised his glass again in toast, even though Shay had already clashed the two glasses together. "Mum will be really excited to hear that. We'll wait and let you tell her at dinner." It would be a nice surprise for their mum to hear it from Shay himself. Stella worried about all of her children, but the local ones were easy to keep an eye on and keep in touch with. Shay had gone of to do his own thing and while she respected him for it, trying to make it on his own, she still worried and sent care packages to him whenever she could. Stella had only told Bentley about the money Shay had given her. The money his biological parents had sent as some form of apology. She had tried to refuse it, to say that it was his, but he wouldn't take no for an answer, so she took it finally, but kept it hidden away, knowing he may need it one day. She had only told her eldest son in case something happened to her while Victor was away on business, which was most of the year. He would be home soon though, for the holidays.

"That's great news mate." He said after a long sip of his beer, watching his sister carefully over the rim. "That means you'll be around for the holidays. It's going to be hectic having everybody home, mum will be so thrilled to have a house full again."
Wouldn't that be the truth. The house seemed so empty when it was just the three of them. There had been so many of them for so long, but even now the twins were at school and it was so quiet, almost eerily so.

Discreetly, Bentley looked over at his sister who looked like she was feeling quite a few emotions all at once. He didn't try to make it obvious, but he knew his sister wasn't sure what to say, so Bentley just kept right on talking. "Hogsmeade won't be nearly as exciting as London though, eh?"

  

[Adella Calendar]

Shay's words caught her completely by surprise. She honestly thought this was just another one of his flash by visits. Here for a week or so, then back to London, back to the hustle and bustle, where he wanted to be. Or did he? She was starting to get more and more confused as the conversation went on. Fortunately, Bentley seemed to see her struggle, so he just kept right on talking, something she was extremely grateful for.

She was shocked, startled, excited, nervous an unsure all at the same it. It was a lot of emotion running through her veins all at once Land she wasn't sure which one to focus on. She was pleasantly surprised to hear he would be around more, excited to spend more time with him, nervous because it would be harder to deny her feelings for him with him around more and unsure of what to do about that. It would be great to have him around again, everybody in the family would be seriously excited. She would love to have him around more, but it would be so hard to forget, like she had started to do, those very un-sisterlylike feelings that had been growing for him ever since that day a few Christmases ago.

It was suddenly at the forefront of her mind, with his arm essentially around her, the warmth of him radiating off of his body, the purely masculine smell of him. She wished desperately that she was sitting with Bentley, but then she would have a direct view of him and it would be so hard not to stare.

It was all so vivid in her mind, the mistletoe, the feel of his body pressed against hers, his hands warm on her back, even through her dress, his lips just a breadth away from hers. She could feel the heat rising on her cheeks like it had then, the desire to kiss him, right then and there. She had lost her mind surely and came to just in time to keep them from ruining the friendship that they did have. It wouldn't do to just go and forgo everything based on some teenage crush and she came to her senses, brushing it off with a kiss on his cheek and a laugh, then running to her room to breath through it. To tell herself she'd just done the right thing even though she had wanted to kiss him so badly.

She remembered it all now, but couldn't bring herself to move. It would seem too sudden, instead she smiled and almost hollow smile up at him. "Yes, that's wonderful news. Everybody will be so excited." And they would and she was trying to sound enthusiastic, but she was so utterly confused. Shaking herself loose from her thoughts, she shot Bentley a look of desperation. He had to know, had to have seen her follow Shay around like a puppy dog when they were younger, making big doe eyes at him. It had been embarrassing until she'd realized that nothing could come of it, so she shut the feelings out and she'd have to do it again.

Though it might not be as easy this time.

  

[Shaymon Ross]

He was beginning to feel almost claustrophobic in his false bravado; he felt like he was suffocating, in a way, like he had backed himself into a corner. Why couldn't he just tell them the truth? How he really felt about everything? But he couldn't go back on it now, or he would look like a fool.

"That's great news mate. That means you'll be around for the holidays. It's going to be hectic having everybody home, mum will be so thrilled to have a house full again."

He nodded, keeping that carefree grin on his face that had always been natural but now seemed to come from some sort of rehearsed space. Like he had been playing the same role for so long he had forgotten how to go without it.
But, he supposed, the display would only last so long... a moment later his smile faded slightly, all because of Adella's words, and when he glanced down at her, the look on her face caused him concern. Was she faking it too?

Did she not want him home?

Half grinning, though looking slightly confused and in askance at Adella, he studied her face for a moment before turning away to look at Bentley at his question. His mind was already working up a lie.

"I'm sure we can liven this place up a little, can't we?"

There was something in Bentley's expression as well that he was unable to decipher, and it worried him because he couldn't remember a time in the recent past in which he couldn't read Bentley. Adella had her mysteries at times û he always had just chalked this up to a sort of womenly thing û but Bentley he'd always been able to read better. He passed a look between his two pseudo-siblings, his brow furrowed slightly, smile still help in place...

"I've been talking all about me, I haven't asked how you both have been?"

  

[Bentley Beauregard]

Merlin there were times he hated being in the middle and now was one of those times. Elsie had always said to Bentley that he was very intuitive when it came to people and while Bentley held the very same opinion of his middle sister, he wasn't sure if he wanted to have those bragging rights at this particular moment in time. It always made things awkward.

If the two of them, sitting there across from him, were so oblivious to their feelings, he was not going to be the one to smack them both and tell them. They needed to figure things out, whatever way they may go, and while it would be awkward for him for a while, he was sure they'd come to some kind of resolution. While Bentley didn't understand it, whatever the two of them were feelings, he supposed that it would almost be natural for the two of them to take that step beyond siblings. They weren't really siblings, were they? Not by blood, but by being raised together, they were in a similar state. They were extremely comfortable with one another, knew just about everything there was to know about the other, they'd seen each other laugh and cry, at their best and worst, it was a connection few people had and while Bentley and Adella shared a sibling kind of love, it was definitely different between his sister and pseudo-brother.

He watched Shay's demeanor change ever-so-slightly as Dell spoke, the excitement that should be there, missing from her words. She looked very confused, like she needed some time to herself or with her girl friends so they could puzzle it all out, but for now she was going to just have suck it up; which meant more work for him.

"Not too shabby, finally fell into a trade I like-" Bentley couldn't remember if he had mentioned his newest apprenticeship in any letters to Shay. "Don't laugh." Though Bentley was sure that Shay would. "Making furniture." He winced, waiting for a laugh and wasn't disappointed. "It's good, you know I've never been good with my wand, better with my hands." Bentley held up his calloused hands, scratched and rough from all of the work at the shop. "Dell's been working at one of the tailors shops in town. Sewing up pretty dressies." He teased, hoping his sister would snap out of it. They had to get through this, then she could have time to herself to figure everything out. It was going to be a long night if she couldn't just play along for now.

  

[Adella Calendar]

The news of Shay moving back to town was still whizzing through her head and while she grappled with being able to handle it, she knew she wouldn't be able to wrap her head around it tonight. Not with it being December, the memories of everything so fresh in her mind, even though the little incident happened years ago. It still woke her up at night, a dream so lifelike, she woke in a cold sweat, just a whisper from where she'd been, desperate to taste him, but since she hadn't actually kissed him that day, her subconscious couldn't make that up for her, so she woke up, breathing heavily, fingers tangled in the sheets. The rest of the night's sleep a wash as she couldn't help but relive it over and over in her mind. The dreams were getting less frequent and more fuzzy, but she anticipated having a strong one tonight.

Listening loosely as Bentley did most of the talking for her, she took the moment to have a private meltdown. She'd been pushing these thoughts and feelings down for so long, had so much success doing so while he was away, but here he was telling them he was back more permanently and she was going to have to deal with those feelings, something she wasn't sure she was prepared to do. She was going to have to decided whether or not the affections she had for him were worth risking the relationship they already had.

Fortunately, she did not have to face them now, or make that decision as this exact moment in time, so when she caught on to what Bentley was saying, she sat more upright, away from the lure of Shay sitting next to her. "Yes, right." She laughed, sounding more like herself. She had forgotten about her wine in front of her and took a long sip. "Making pretty dressies for pretty rich girls." Being a seamstress had not always been her dream job, but she was so good at it, why not at least make money at it. She didn't have to really think about it and it was a good job to have while she tried to figure out just what exactly she wanted to do. "Makes a pretty sickle." She joked, trying to regain her composure. It was beyond help where Bentley was concerned, she knew that he was already suspicious of her, but they were out to have a good time, no sense in letting her insecurities get the better of her. "Afraid we haven't been up to anything exciting. Not nearly as exciting as auror training." She needed the focus off of her.

"The twins have started their first year, Gryffindor the pair of them. Charlie said she owled you. I think she's adjusting. We were never worried about Owen." Dell rambled, trying to fill the air. Trying to make it appear at least that she wasn't waging an internal battle. "It helps that they're in Gryffindor with Elsie, she can keep an eye on them." In all honesty, it had been nice being in a separate house from most of her siblings, though she had already graduated before the twins had started, it had been good for her relationship with Harvey. The two had to rely on one another, being in the same house. While they had never been particularly close growing up, being Puffs together was good for them, as she was sure it had been good for Bentley and Elsie, but then again, Elsie got a long just fine with everybody in the family. Middle child syndrome she supposed. Focusing on their siblings was so much easier that Dell relaxed just a little bit and took another sip of her wine. That was certainly helping to relax her a little bit as well and while she knew better, she was contemplating a second glass.

  

[Shaymon Ross]

Shay did laugh, though maybe not as loud as he might have if Dell's recent coldness hasn't affected his mood just moments before, but he quickly followed up with, "Nothing bad about that" because he really did think that it was a noble enough professionà just more of a muggle one. At least he wasn't digging ditches, or cleaning chimneys. In fact, Shay felt that the profession suited him ¼û sure and steady Bentley. He knew about Adella's profession. He had asked, specifically, in a letter to Bentley and Harvey already, trying to ask as casually as possible, of course. He found the job suited her as well, but he didn't like that she wasn't making more money, and he hoped her patrons û the æpretty rich girls' û were at least treating her with respect. The thought of anyone treating her badly set him on edge, and he told himself this was because of a brotherly protectiveness.

He nearly winced when she said they hadn't been up to anything as exciting as his training. There it was again, mention of the job he was beginning to feel differently about, and he couldn't tell them this. Instead he grinned and shook his head, enjoying the fact she moved on to talking about the twins.

"Charlie did owl me," he confirmed, "I reassured her that Gryffindors have to be incredible, and if they're not," he cracked his knuckles playfully, "they'll have to deal with me." However, his smile faded as he added, "that stuff about that boy at the school, the one who apparently impregnated that girl, that worries me a bit." He hoped the kid got what he deserved.

He was definitely reassured by the fact Elsie was there in the house with them. She would keep them in line. He missed her too, and was looking forward to Christmas when he could see her and the twins again in person. He kept in touch with Elsie through letter correspondence as well, but û like all the Beauregard's û his letters had started to come less and less as he missed home more and more and as training got more intense.