School once more (Sean)

[LIZABETH ANN GREEN]

Lizzie dressed quickly that morning. She had gotten her letter and was over joyed. She loved getting her letter. However, she knew what the letters meant each year to her father. Another things he could not join his children in doing. Lizzie being the daughter that she was tried her hardest to explain things to her father. It was this year that he was worried. After all he did love his children even if they relationship was a bit strained. He was worried about what might happen to their family if rumors were true. Lizzie believed them to be true but there wasn't much one could do about it. School was school and there was no keeping her away.

The letter had also stated that they would be receiving new students into their mists. Apparently rumors of what happened in America were actually true. She had been to the States at least once already for a competition and one of her friends she head met long ago there told her that bad things were happening and that they were lucky to even be able to do the competition in the first place. I had Lizzie ever so curious really. Besides those fact however she wanted to go to the place that she felt even more at home at.

She ran down the stairs and too off towards the door. "Sean hurry up!" She called up to her brother and waited for him to join her.

[SEAN ROBERT GREEN]

Groaning in to his pillow, Sean squeezed his eyes tighter and tried to ignore the commotion around him as his house woke up. It could only have been a few hours ago when he got home and collapsed on his bed. Sean had spent the night out with his Muggle friends he got during his childhood years. It was something his father approved of, in fact Sean could see how happy it made him, but what he suspected them of doing was definitely not approved. Sean only kept it to a couple of drinks when he was with his friends, one because he didn't want to ever come home drunk and two he didn't want to blab about Hogwarts. But his father suspected. He never said anything though, not wanting to tear Sean further away from his Muggle life.

It was finally his sister's voice that broke through the fog in Sean's head. "Coming," Sean grumbled, rolling himself on to his feet. He paused for a second in thought as he gave a questioning shout down the stairs, "Tea?" before quickly shoving the first clothes as he could find. As such, and a quick trip to the bathroom to shower, Sean was down the stairs in fifteen minutes.

"What's the rush?" Sean complained but then his eyes snapped to two identical letters, one open one still sealed. "Oh," Sean said with a grin slowly spreading across his face, only faltering slightly as he asked how their father was, "Dad?"

[LIZABETH ANN GREEN]

Lizzie knew full well that she probably shouldn't be rushing Sean but her excitement got the better of her. Sean was always hanging out with his friends when they were home for the summer. She on the other hand was so busy it wasn't even funny. She probably had gotten more sleep then he had though. He always came home later but then again so did she. She shook her head as she heard him call down for tea. She put some tea on as she knew that he was getting ready. Lizzie thought about things for a few minutes. Her father was glad that they did muggle things and Lizzie had a way of balancing both lives much like her mother did. Speaking of their mother...She had not come home in a few days which had Lizzie worried a bit. She knew it worried their father as well.

She was pouring tea as Sean walked down the stairs asking what the rush was. She gave him a nod after he figured it out. Lizzie looked at their father for a moment as he read his paper and took the tea she handed him. "I'm alright worried about your mother and both of you. I don't want you going back there. Not because it take you from me but because of things I'm being told by your mother and other rumors. However, I know I can't stop my girl." He put down his paper to look at Lizzie. "Daddy the safest place to be is Hogwarts. I'm worried about you and mum though." There was no doubt in the concern in her voice. "Come into the alley with us just this once Dad please."

Lizzie looked at Sean. They both knew something had happened last year and she wasn't sure if her brother believed all rumors to be true but Lizzie was sure that the safest place on the planet was Hogwarts at this time.

[SEAN ROBERT GREEN]

Being greeted by tea in the morning after a late night was argumentatively one of Sean’s favourite things. Taking the cup, Sean flashed his dear sister an appreciative smile. Grabbing his unopened Hogwarts letter, Sean used his teeth to rip open the envelope and let the letter spill out. It would have exactly the same content as Lizabeth’s with them being in the same year, but Sean still glanced over the parchment as he kept the teacup balanced in his other hand. Wandering around the kitchen to add milk and sugar, Sean listened idly to the conversation between his sister and father. It was the same old conversation that the strained family had been having for weeks now. Their father was worried and he did not want them going back to Hogwarts.
Not that Sean wasn’t worried. Especially when concerning his mother. She had been away from the family home for days now, and even if this wasn’t unusual in the recent times, it still worried Sean. Particularly when he thought about what it would be like for his father waiting alone for her to come home once September came around. He wondered what it would it would be like for all his family. Wild rumours had started flying around that summer since the triwizard cup. Mostly they all seemed to discredit Harry Potter and Dumbledore. Now, Sean was one of those grumbling Hufflepuffs that was annoyed that Harry was taking away attention from Cedric and the Hufflepuff house, but some of the things being said about him were ridiculous. Sean had been around Harry for five years now and he simply couldn’t believe half the bad things being said about him. Then if Dumbledore backed him up... Well, that was good enough for Sean. Not that he wanted to dwell on what that meant.

Lizabeth’s voice drew Sean out of his thoughts, and when he realised what he just said Sean raised his eyebrow in surprise, turning to head to meet his sister’s eye. Was she sure about this? In the four years they had already attended Hogwarts their father never came with them to Diagon Alley. Sean had already resigned to the fact but obviously Lizabeth hadn’t. He just hoped she wouldn’t get hurt. “It’s true, dad,” Sean piped up, wanting to support his sister even though Sean had given up talking to his father about anything magical for a long time now, “Nothing could get past Dumbledore, and then there are all the other professors too.”

Cautiously, Sean continued, “And Liz is right. You should come with us. You’ll see. It’s not all bad.” Sean figured that even if the rumours were true they were doing a good job at keeping them at rumours at the moment. Anyway, in the small part of Sean’s naïve mind, he couldn’t see anything taking away the beauty and vibrancy of Diagon Alley. Looking on nervously, Sean watched his father’s face twist up in thought.

[LIZABETH ANN GREEN]

Lizzie loved greating her brother with tea in the morning. She always seemed to know when he had been out late and was most of the time one step ahead of him when it came to having his tea all ready for him. She gave him a smile back as he smiled at her. She knew Sean has stopped trying to talk to their father about anything magical. Lizzie on the other hand had not. Sure it caused fighting and her mother getting angry with her at times but she was just that type of person. Sure her dad couldn't do magic but she could at least try explaining things. She knew her father didn't exactly like it but he did at least listen to her from time to time. He still didn't get it but as of late he'd at least ask question. It might be due to the fact that Lizzie could balance both lives so well and that through the years she had learned how to teach her dad about things without it seeming like she was talking to down to him or anything like that. She wasn't and he'd finally noticed that it was out of her sheer love for him that she did it in the first place.

The Hufflepuffs were upset about Harry taking well spotlight over Cedric. She really couldn't blame them actually. Cedric had be the perfect example of a Hufflepuff and very conciderate. She had remembered the times in her first year that Cedric had actually helped her out in the ways of being bullied because of her quietness at school. She had been beyond sad when he had appeared on the field dead. She didn't think Harry had done anything and she knew something was up. It wasn't because she had any powers to know such things. It was the fact that she'd know Harry for five years now and knew he wouldn't be capable of killing anyone save maybe the one that killed his family. On top of that Dumbledore backed him up and Cedric was a great wizard already. It would have had to been someone a lot stronger to off him in such a way. No half the rumors of what happened had to be true. Nothing was ever as it appeared to be and if the Dark Lord was truly back...Well she wasn't surprised that no one wanted to believe it. The stories she had heard or read of the last time she couldn't blame people for wanting to turn a blind eye.

She caught Sean's eye as he turned to her when she mentioned that their father should come with the. She was dead sure about him coming with them. Sure he'd never come to Diagon Alley with them for the last four years but that didn't mean Lizzie wasn't going to try. She wanted to make sure he was okay and not just sitting at home where anything could happen. In a crowd of people in Diagon things would be safer. She wanted her mom home too but that didn't look like it was going to happen. She smiled as soon as Sean started talk and basically backing her up. She watched their father for a long moment. Each year they had been dropped off at the tube station closest to their home and then they'd get off closest to the leaky cauldron as possible and go in together. Their first year their mother went but the years following she had not.

Lizzie fell silent as she watched her father thinking. Half of her was praying that he'd say yes this year. She was sure he eyes showed that as well. He was mulling over what his children said and contemplating what it meant to stay at home. Maybe it was better to stick together as a family even if he didn't understand a thing about the magical world. He finished folding up his paper. "Are you two ready to go?" He questioned not saying if he was going to go all the way with them or he was going to just be dropping them off like all the years before. Lizzie nodded her head and looked at Sean for a moment. She wasn't used to her father contemplating so much on something. Even his tone of voice was saying that he was still thinking. "I'm ready..."

[SEAN ROBERT GREEN]

It was a hard moment of silence. Sean never loved silence. He just wasn't the kind of person that felt comfortable in it, much preferring the loud chaos of crowds full of laughter and banter. The only time when Sean could be comforted by silence was with his sister's gentle and soothing quietness when she instinctively knew something was bothering him. But now, this silence was the worst of them all. Sean had given up a long time ago with his father. The way Sean saw it was that he didn't want anything to do with their magical lives. He never stopped to consider why. Maybe it was just too painful for their father knowing he could never belong. Maybe he thought it would be too hard for his children to enter the magical world leaving him behind. Sean never considered these or any other option. He just saw his father pushing the two away.

That was why Sean never understood why Lizabeth still tried. Couldn't she see that he didn't want anything to do with that part of their lives? Sean had given up caring just so he wouldn't get hurt whenever he was rejected by their father. But he still hurt for his sister. It still angered Sean to see the disappointment in Lizabeth. Why couldn't she just accept it?

So when the two children stood in silence waiting for their father's answer, it wasn't for his feelings he was anxious about. Rather it was Lizabeth's. Finally their father folded his paper, breaking his thought and his silence. Sean raised his eye at his non-committal answer. Did that mean he was coming up them? All the way? He was vaguely aware of his sister answering his question, and then realised both were staring at him, waiting of his answer.

"Um, yes. Yes," Sean muttered hurriedly, turning to dump his teacup in the sink as he glanced at his siter to gauge her reaction. "All good."

"Well let's get going then," their father answered in turn.

[LIZABETH ANN GREEN]

Lizabeth has hidden her power from her parents for a very long time. She was sure her mother suspected something. However, she wanted them to think that she was a squib. She wasn't sure if that would have made things better on her father or not. However, you couldn't hide things when a letter came for you at the age of eleven. Her father had taken that rather hard. Sean has displayed magic but she never had. The whole fight they had that day ended up with her crying and in all manners of well distress. Not even practicing a dance with friends could break her out of it. She felt like in some manner she's betrayed both her parents and she knew they viewed her as the smart and logical one. In truth she have been trying to keep the family as one hopefully. It was after their first year at school and Lizzie changed her way of thinking about things.

Muggleborns had both of the parents unsure of what was going on yet they took their children to Diagon Alley and kept a low profile. Lizabeth wanted nothing more than to show her father what her mother loved and what she loved about the wizarding world. Sure doing spells and being around the magic would be hard for anymore but the joy on people's faces the laughter and well everything else. It wasn't much different then just an average family. An average muggle one at that. She wanted to show her father that. Still every year she asked she was disappointed. Most of the time Sean knew what was happening. Sean had given up. He allowed their father to push them away and Lizzie couldn't do that. She was a daddy's girl after all and she'd do almost anything to make him happy. She's never accept it because that was just the way she was. She had been persistant before and frankly it had worked.

The silence though she loved it was deafening. She wasn't sure what her father was thinking and as he folded his newspaper he seemed to be ponder the thought still. Could she after four year gotten through to him. She wasn't sure but she followed him out towards the car. This was going to be an interesting ride to say the least. She looked at her brother there was a bit of hope shining in her eyes but there was a hint of slight disappointment as well. Her father still had not said anything. It wasn't until she noticed they had passed the tube station that she got his answer. He wold never say it he'd just do what he thought was right. A smile came over her face. She had broken through her father's stubbornness. She couldn't be happier. She leaned forwards from the back seat and hugged him.

They parked a bit away from the entrance to the Leaky Cauldron and Lizabeth took her father's hand. "Are you sure about this?" He seemed aprehensive but followed his daughter's lead. He looked over at his son to see what he was thinking but had no words for him. "Come on.." Lizabeth walked into the Cauldron and they towards the back waiting for them to all assemble there before she tapped on the bricks with her wand. She was more waiting for Sean as she was still holding her father's hand and half dragging him along. A small smile spread across his face.

[SEAN ROBERT GREEN]

Sean trailed after his sister and his father down their garden path and in to the car, an anxiety growing in the pit of his stomach that Sean couldn’t quite seem to quench. Despite everything, Sean had started to hope. And that annoyed him to know end. Didn’t he know better by now? He had already given up on this years ago to avoid the crushing disappointment that was sure in come in a few minutes when their father pulled up outside the tube station and sent them off with a wave. But the further the trio got the more hopeful Sean felt. He had seen his father’s careful consideration as Lizabeth seemed to get through to him, and Sean had never seen that before.

Glancing once at his sister Sean caught her gaze and saw his emotions mirrored in her eyes. He wanted to try and gently prepare her in case they were yet again disappointed and that hope he saw in her eyes was crushed. But Sean had no choice but to follow the pair silently in to the car and settle in the vehicle, the feeling in his stomach growing more and more the closer they got to the tube station.

Then they were past it. Sean almost felt like laughing. He never imagined his father getting over whatever kept him back from the magical world and embracing his children’s other lives. Instead of laughing, Sean settled for grinning with a small amused shake of the head when his sister launched herself forward to hug her father from behind.

The journey wasn’t half as bad from there. They drove by in relative peaceful silence, chatting quite happily between the three of them from time to time. Before he knew it they were pulled up just down the street from the Leaky Cauldron and the three were out of the car. Sean couldn’t help that his nerves returned now. His father looked apprehensive but he made it this far, surely he wasn’t going to leave now? It was this thought that kept Sean’s anxiety at bay as he trailed after his father and sister. Just before entering the pub, Sean caught his father’s eye and although they didn’t speak, Sean gave him a small, almost encouraging smile. Then they were through and the entrance to Diagon Alley was revealed.

The three of them stood in silence for a moment, Sean carefully watching for any reaction from his father. A revealed smile came to Sean’s face when he saw that he father was actually smiling himself. During all this time, Sean had stood back. Lizabeth had always been closer to their father than him. At least that’s what it seemed like sometimes. If anyone was going to get their father to Diagon Alley and not spook him it was going to be her. But now Sean felt comfortable enough in his father to step forward and clap a friendly hand on his shoulder.

“Come on then, old man,” Sean joked, standing at his father’s other side, watching him take up Diagon Alley. “Where do you want to go first, sis?” Sean called around their father.

[LIZABETH ANN GREEN]

Lizzie wasn't sure if her father was going to come with them as they headed down the garden path to the car. She still had hope that he would listen to them this time. It wouldn't be a good idea for him to not come with them. At least in her mind the family being together was the safest thing in the world. Especially when their mother hadn't been home in a bit. Lizzie was also a daddy's girl no matter how one put it. She tried her hardest to make both her parents proud and to include her father even if he didn't want to be included. She always found that to be the considerate thing to do. When it came to magic she tried hard not to mention it any other time then when they were headed to school. This summer had been different because of all the things that had happened ending the fourth year.

Lizzie would forever be hopeful with her father even if it crushed her each and every time he said no. She's never give up on him. As they continued their drive Sean seemed to be hoping as well. Something Lizzie had not seen in him in a long time. The car ride was silent because that was how it always was. She saw Sean grin and she couldn't have been happier. Lizzie almost forgot about a few things as she was so overjoyed that her father had indeed decided to come with them. It didn't take them long to get into Diagon Alley after Sean caught up with them. She looked at the bustling streets of Diagon Alley as smile so wide plastered on her face that anyone who walked by and noticed would likely give her an odd look. They stood ithere in silence for a moment.

Lizzie turned over to look at Sean just as he jokingly called their father an old man. She couldn't help but giggle. Their father looked at Sean with a head shake and then was turning to look at Lizzie as Sean asked her were to go first. She thought about it for a moment. "Flourish and Bolts. Its the easiest place to get aquianted with Diagon Alley at. But we should probably go to the vault first." She smiled brightly and started leading them down the busy streets towards Gringotts. It might make her father a bit uneasy to be within the bank but they did need to get the money they needed to buy the school supplies first. Then they could got get their books and go down the list from there. Like a dutiful Ravenclaw she had her list with her and had already half memorized it.

They entered the bank and Lizzie went up to the first goblin that wasn't busy with someone else. "Hello, may I please pull money out of vault 243" The goblin looked at her and asked the questions as she handed over the key to the vault. Moments later they were in the vault getting out the money that they needed and then they were out back into the streets of Diagon Alley.