Closed Coming Home

[Alexander Alcott]

It had been decades since Alex had spent more than a day in the country he was born in, and he was surprised how familiar it all felt. After attending Beauxbatons he had built a life in France, and left New Zealand behind in his childhood memories. Since Kyle had moved back here though, the thought hadn't left his brain that he should come and visit his brother. He had always expected it to be.... a temporary visit, just coming by to check in on Kyle, but after coming back for the wedding, the thought of emigrating hadn't left Alex's mind. A fresh start wasn't a bad idea, and Hogwarts was just as good a school as Beauxbatons, whatever Ella had to say on the subject. Kyle was here, Gabriel was here, and now... Alex was here too.

It had been surprisingly easy to find a place and get settled in, even with two kids in tow. Though he had considered reaching out for help a few times throughout the moving process, Alex knew the struggles would be worth the look on his older brother's face when he showed up on the doorstep. And now that day had finally come. With a little New Zealand flag pinned haphazardly to his shirt, Alex knocked on his brother's door, beaming at the bemused look he got when Kyle opened the door. "Kyle! Hello!" He laughed brightly, reaching down to hug his brother. "Surprise! A visit from your new neighbour!" He laughed happily, kissing his brother on both cheeks before releasing him. "We moved! We're real kiwis now!"

 

[Kyle Alcott-Ward]

Over the years, Kyle liked to think he had adjusted to his home being empty. That wasn't to say that he liked it, though. But he had managed, as the girls went off to Hogwarts, where Matt had to spend the majority of his time as well. Kyle had taken it all in stride, adjusted to his emptying nest. Or so he had thought. And then his daughters had moved out, and he had discovered that that was an entirely new feeling. Now it was really just him and Matt at home, and that felt lonely. Sure, he could fill his time with hobbies and socialising, but at the end of the day, there were two empty rooms in the home that may never be filled again.

The quiet, at least, he could cope with. Kyle had pulled up a bootleg of an old favourite stage show and curled up in his favourite chair, quite enjoying feeling like a stereotypical grandmother as he knitted away at a scarf for Matt. When he was younger this kind of solitude had felt like a curse, the agonising empty moments between one audience and the next, but as his life had changed, Kyle had changed too. He had learned to find comfort in his own company, found ways to become alright with silence.

That silence broke all at once at the sound of a knock, and Kyle looked up in surprise. Gabriel dropping by, maybe? Kyle had been avoiding his cousin ever since he found out the older man was seeing his boss, of all people, but he wouldn't be surprised if Gabriel had decided to drop by. Setting his knitting aside and pausing the TV, Kyle crossed to the front door, eyes widening in shock when he saw who was on the other side. "Alex! What are you doing here?!" Kyle laughed in disbelief, reaching out quickly to hug his younger brother. Alex's answer shocked him beyond belief, letting him go to stare at Alex in confusion. "You moved here!? When did that happen?" Kyle asked, staring at his brother in disbelief.

 

[Louis Alcott]

Louis was pretty excited about moving to New Zealand. It was like an adventure! He'd miss his friends in France, but he also was confident he would be making new friends in this new place soon enough. Especially once he went to Hogwarts, which was cool because it was the same school his cousins October and April had gone to. They were actually visiting his uncle Kyle right now, and Louis was excited about that too. He liked uncle Kyle a lot, though he was a bit sad to hear neither October nor April lived with him anymore. He wanted to talk about Quidditch with them both. They had both been on their house team in their time at Hogwarts, and had both been captains. Just like Louis was going to be, he knew. The biggest obstacle he faced was having to pick what position he would play on the house team. His dad had told him they would be surprising uncle Kyle, and it seemed like they really were The shocked look on his face was pretty funny, and Louis laughed before running up to hug his uncle. "Surprise!" He said happily.

 

[Alexander Alcott]

Any nerves he may have felt about visiting his older brother were erased in an instant as Alex saw Kyle's reaction, laughing happily. "Just now! It's just the two of us right now, Giulia is staying with her mother until we're settled in here." He explained, ruffling Louis' hair gently. "Louis is starting school next year, and you know I'm not the biggest fan of Beauxbatons. I know Ella's sending her lot there, but I thought my two could follow in your footsteps and get the Hogwarts experience."

 

[Kyle Alcott-Ward]

Kyle was shocked at how little he needed to lean down to hug his nephew, embracing Louis tightly. "Louis! You've grown up so much!" He exclaimed, kissing the boy on the cheek before releasing him. Kyle nodded as he listened to Alex's explanation, stepping back to welcome them both into the house at the same time. "Oh, wow! Well, I'm sure your kids will love it! I always loved Hogwarts." He smiled, deciding not to go into how October seemed to feel about her time there. April had loved it, at least. "And Matt works there, he can keep an eye on Louis and Giulia." He added, heading through to the kitchen as he spoke. "Cups of tea? Anything to eat? I've got biscuits somewhere around here..."