A Summer to Remember

[Evita Johansen]

Evita was cleaning up the house that morning, she was anxiously awaiting for when Alexandra would return. It was a weekday, so Alfons was at work and Valentin at school. Aphrodite had been in and out of the house, but she left Athena at home, and Evita got enjoyment out of watching her grandaughter. That morning Aphrodite had stepped out to tend to some of her own business, and Athena was sleeping in the guest bedroom that they were staying in. She could hear the light breathing of the infant through the baby moniter that they had purchased after Aphrodite arrived just a few weeks earlier.

The Spanish mother had a broom in her hand, and she was sweeping through the tiled floor in the kitchen. She couldn't help but think about the conversation that Alfons had with her own father, Alejandro about Aphrodite. Evita's Swedish husband spoke to Alejandro in the early morning when he first arrived at work, and he would discuss their conversation with her when he came home from work that evening. Evita got the dustpan and picked up all of the dust that was on the floor, throwing it out. She was excited, Alexandra's plane was to arrive in just a few short hours, and she would be awaiting her teenage daughters' taxi to arrive. The one thing that got her nervous was that Alexandra had no idea that Aphrodite even existed. Valentin had adjusted smoothly, mainly because he was so young and believed and trusted his parents. He was gentle with Athena, though he only was around her twice. Aphrodite was quite strict with her daughter, probably because of the lack of mothering she had.

 

[Aphrodite Fox]

Aphrodite climbed up the paved staircase that was outside the large townhome she now resided in. She had a plastic bag in her hand, she had just bought some diapers. The olive-skinned woman was constantly out of the house, but really what she was doing was buying the baby things she needed one by one, to have an excuse to get out of the house. A couple of times she brought Athena with her, but it was trouble to carry around a toddler. Aphrodite still stood by her not wanting Evita to be around Athena that much, but she couldn't completely stop her from holding Athena if she was gone, and the child cried. She actually enjoyed the company, and was taking a liking to her younger brother.

Before she had Athena, she hated children, but she was beginning to grow a liking to them. The one 'kid' she wouldn't get to like much, and she knew it, was her sister, Alexandra. Aphrodite knew that it was around the time that Hogwarts was finishing up, and she was sure she had overheard her mother saying that Alexandra would be coming home soon. The two sisters were almost identical, in personality. Aphrodite had taught Alexandra, and made the grave mistake of revealing herself, and she knew it was crucial that her half-sister remained silent about her circumstances.

Aphrodite had lots on her mind, as she pulled out her wand and non-verbally cast, 'Alohamora', on the door she had figured out was charmed. She gave the large door a slight push, and it swung open. She entered and closed the door behind her, calling out, "I'm back. I went out for some diapers I forgot yesterday." She hadn't spoken English in a while, though Athena understood both languages. Aphrodite put down the bag of diapers, and took off her shoes. She picked the bag back up, and carried it up to the third floor where she had her own guest room. She quietly opened the door not to wake Athena, and checked on her daughter.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita was slightly startled when she heard the door open, but no key fumbling. She knew it was Aphrodite, and she assumed that she had cast an unlocking charm on the door. She had put the broom away, and was in the main floor bathroom wringing out the mop that she had just put into hot soapy water. Evita opened her mouth to respond, but rendered it useless as she could hear the wooden floors creaking a little as her eldest daughter climbed up the staircases.

She walked into the kitchen and turned off the baby moniter, then began to mop. Overall, she kept the floor fairly clean, sweeping and mopping on a daily basis. After this, she didn't have that much to do, just a load of laundry and to dust the living room. She had the mop in her hands, and she went back and forth; left and right, all throughout the kitchen until it was spotless. She was in the bathroom rinsing off the mophead when she heard the clinging of the metal keys coming from the outside, and she was surprised her husband was home so early.

She quickly washed her hands, and wiped them off onto her apron which she quickly untied from her waist. She untied her hair out of the loose bun it was in, and combed through her bangs as she briskly walked to the front door to greet her husband. He was very early, as it was not even noon yet. Alfons had gone into the office earlier that morning so he could make it back in time to catch Alexandra's cab, and apparently he was back earlier than she had expected.

 

[Alfons Johansen]

Alfons fumbled with the keys as usual at the entrance to his home. He went through the usual routine of trying out the first key, it not working, and then going with whatever key, even once the car key, and getting it correct. Because this always happened, he had gotten over being frusturated by it, but he was in such a rush to talk to his wife, he grunted as the key didn't work the first time. See, that morning, the Swedish man had spoken to his father-in-law, Alejandro, about his daughter-in-law. What he was told, he wasn't happy about, and he had to discuss the matters with his wife right away.

After what felt like an eternity, he got the door open (actually just after the first try), and entered his house greeted by his wife. He closed the wooden door behind him, and placed his briefcase down on the floor next to the wall. He was feeling very anxious about the information he found out, that his foot was tapping as he gave his wife an embrace, wrapping his hands around her waist. He pecked her on the cheek, and he could tell by her face that she was just as anxious to hear the information as he was to tell her. "We should go into the living room. I'd like for you to sit." He said to his wife in Spanish, with his odd Swedish accent mixed in there. She nodded, and he led her through the archway into the living room which was just off the entrance, and he sat next to her. He glanced out into the hallway, where he was only able to see the front door.

 

[Aphrodite Fox]

Aphrodite had just put the diapers into the bathroom, and fixed up a few of the pillows that had fallen over from the way she placed them when she left. She covered up her daughter, who looked nothing like her, and gave her a kiss on her rosy red cheeks. Just at that moment, she realised that she had forgotten her shoes in the entrance hall. Putting on the slippers she had bought two days earlier, she slipped out the room, closing the dark brown door behind her. She quietly climbed down one set of stairs, and just as she stepped down from the last step onto the second floor, she heard the fumbling of keys, and knew her step-father was home. She froze, and waited to hear what they would be discussing.

Her mother said nothing, and Aphrodite could make out that Alfons had something important to say to her mother. Aphrodite took advantage of them walking, and she took some light, but brisk steps towards the top of the steps of the second floor. She looked down, and couldn't see them so she knew they were in the living room which was just off the main hall. The house was so quiet, she could not only hear her own breath, she was almost positive she could hear theirs too. She had her body against the wall that was at the top of the stairs, and she had her eyes focused on the briefcase Alfons had put down when he came in. She stayed dead still, controlling her breathing so it wouldn't be heard.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita wasn't so anxious, and wasn't even thinking about the conversation her husband had with her father, until Alfons walked through the door. Something was on his mind, and she knew he wouldn't be at ease until he got it out, and the situation was fixed. She noted that his left foot was tapping as he hugged her tightly, and she kissed him on the cheek in hopes of having some sort of calming affect. Worry grew in her eyes, and her eyes went soft as she took a moment to look at her husband in the eyes. Whatever her father had told him was bad, and she remained silent when he told her they should sit down, and so she followed him into the living room. Everything else that was going on in the house was out of sight, out of mind. She had forgotten Aphrodite was actually in the house, or else she would have hushed her husband down when he told her what he did.

 

[Alfons Johansen]

Alfons would have noticed the extra pair of shoes that were by the front door had he not been so engulfed in what he was about to tell Evita. He replayed the conversation he had with Alejandro over and over again in his mind, and pulled out the facts from the sugar-coated details he was given. He was angled to face forward, but he had his head looking directly at his beautiful wife's golden brown eyes. "Your father did not tell me much, but what he did tell me is terrible." The blond haired man began, trying to regroup his thoughts. "According to Alejandro, Aphrodite is a Death Eater. She's done terrible things, used people, broken families, undoubtedly used unforgivable curses, and may have even killed people. She was even a part of the plot that got the Head Auror killed in New Zealand." He said sort of bluntly. He was disgusted to know that such a human could exist, and could even be an offspring of his wife. Sister to his children. He wanted to be sure that she wouldn't be around his children; He knew what he wanted to do, but didn't know how his wife would take the news.

Alfons was one of those muggles that knew all about the wizarding world. Evita and himself got the Daily Prophet delivered to them daily, and he tried to be as involved as his family's lifestyle as much as possible, given he wasn't a wizard. He knew that once Alexandra came home, and saw Aphrodite there, they would have to confess that he actually knew everything, and he didn't know how she would take it. He knew, no matter what, this would be a summer to remember.

 

[Alexandra Johansen]

The sun was high in the sky, and full blast as Alexandra lugged her two suitcases up the short paved staircase to get to her home. The taxi she arrived in had just driven away, and Alex had major jetlag. Her flight had arrived extremely early, it was a 22 hour flight, and that was the early time. Alexandra steadied her bags, as she patted herself for her housekey, when she remembered she didn't need it. She took out her wand, and hid it from public view with her body. She was first thinking that she would cast the spell non-verbally, but was too drowsy and out-of-it to concentrate that hard. She whispered, "Alohamora!" and she heard the door click. Quickly putting her wand away, she grabbed the handles to her two suitcases and pushed open the door, dragging in her suitcases.

She closed the door behind her, and locked it. Her eyes began to shut, she was enver good with jetlag. Alexandra was so exhausted, she sat on the floor and leaned against her suitcases, nearly sitting on one of Aphrodite's shoes. She allowed her exhaust to overwhelm her, and her eyelids slowly shut. Her eyes rolled up, and the last image she saw, unsure whether it was a dream or reality, was Aphrodite's piercing eyes staring down at her from the top of the stairs.

 

[Evita Johansen]

Evita nodded her head, slowly as she averted her gaze from the icy blue stare of her husbands' eyes. It was plausable, and she believed what he was telling her to be true. It was her fault that this woman had grown up with no mother, no proper way of living, and she now realized that there was probably no way of her changing her daughter. She didn't want any time to absorb this, if her own father couldn't do anything to change Aphrodite, there wasn't much Evita could do, especially since they had literally just reunited. "We need to tell the Ministry. It's not safe for Valentin, and soon Alexandra, to be around her." She said, hurt glimmering in her eyes. Her voice was quiet, and soft; she almost felt personally responsible for the actions of Aphrodite.

Evita looked back at her husband, and her eyes narrowed a little. "I'll send an owl to set up a meeting with one of the Spanish Ministry members so we can discuss this with them, and see what course of action we'd like to take. But she can not know we know. Everything must be normal." She continued on saying. She gave her husband a quick peck on the lips, and slowly rose from her seat. She couldn't believe it, but at the same time, she could. It hurt to know that it was her fault her daughter did those things.

Just at that moment that she was about to exit the living room, the front door opened, and much to Evita's surprise, in came Alexandra! Her younger daughter looked exhausted, and it seemed as though she hadn't seen Evita. Evita watched her daughter as she slumped down against her suitcase, and fell asleep, as though it were some force of power that took over her to fall asleep. She looked at her daughter at this moment, and made a vow to herself that she wouldn't let Alexandra (or Valentin for that matter) go down the same path Aphrodite had.

 

[Aphrodite Fox]

Aphrodite purposely overheard her mothers' conversation with Alfons, and her eyes narrowed with anger as she heard what her grandfather had told him. Her grandfather was the only person she could trust, and the only person that wasn't her daughter that she loved (Well, she loved Yakov as the father of her child). What she didn't know is that Alejandro had quite the lengthy conversation with her Swedish step-father, and that he had also told him that she was becoming a different person (which at this point almost all would have stopped).

The Death Eater sat, leaning against the wall trying to figure out what to do, but first she needed to hear what her mother would say. Aphrodite listened, not surprised that her own mother would abandon her again. Her gears were grinding in her head, and knew that she had to intercept that letter. By this point, Aphrodite had completely forgotten about her shoes at the bottom of the stairs, and she was already taking a step to go back up to her slumbering daughter, when she heard the door open, and diverted her attention back to the first floor entrance.

Alexandra walked in, looking almost the same, just aged, that she had when Aphrodite had taught her five or so years ago. The brunette at the bottom of the stairs brought in her suitcases, and slumped down against them. Aphrodite had a strong, stern look on her face, and it just happened to be aimed at Alexandra, who got a glance of Aphrodite just as she closed her eyes and fell into a slumber of her own. Without hesitating, the olive-skinned death eater slid her way across the hallway so she wouldn't make so much as a scratch to attract attention upstairs. She slipped up the stairs, and back into her guest bedroom, where she lay on the bed next to her daughter, plotting her way out of this situation.

 

[Alfons Johansen]

Alfons wasn't surprised by what came out of his wife's mouth. He knew family was the most important thing to her (as it was to him), even though she didn't always let it on. Aphrodite may have been her daughter, but she wasn't family in a way; though, she did pose a danger to their family. Alfons remained silent as his wife made the decision for them as to what they were going to do about the situation they now had on their hands. He didn't move, and waited until she kissed him on the lips to move. He rose from his seat as the front door opened, and his facial expression went tense, as there was literally no possible way somebody they knew could be coming in the house right now; though he was pleasantly surprised to see it was his daughter, Alexandra.

He watched as his only daughter entered, looking exhausted, surely worn out by jetlag. She put her suitcases down, next to his own briefcase, and he could tell that she was fighting the urge to sleep, which she lost in a moments time. She slowly lowered herself down, as though in a trance, and she closed her eyes, having fallen asleep. Alfons' face relaxed, having a moment of peace at the safe return of his firstborn child. Without hesitation, he walked over to his daughter, and picked her up, being so careful not to wake her up. He walked her up the stairs, and lay her on her bed. He kissed his daughter a good night, and hoped that she could forgive them for the lies they told.