Closed Holland Christmas Party

[Claudia Holland]

Last year, Claudia had hosted a Christmas party at the Ministry. She intended to do so again next year, but thought it was good to have a year between those events so Ministry employees could spend more time with their family around Christmas time as well, herself included. In order to spend more time with family and a few close friends, Claudia had decided to throw a party again, only this time with a much more limited guest list. Only her family and a few close friends were invited, as she really wanted to spend this Christmas relaxing and not feeling like she needed to be in the role of Minister. The party would mostly be outside in their garden, which had been set up with tables and snacks, and had been decorated by her oldest daughter. Rose had taken to the task well, and Claudia watched with pride as she rearranged some of the decorations to make sure everything was looking well. Because it was Christmas break from Hogwarts, her other daughters were at home as well. Lucy was on the grass nearby in a baby bouncer, and Claudia kept an eye on her as she finished her own last preparations. It was a nice, sunny day, and Claudia was sure today's party would be a succes. It would be nice to catch up with some family and some of her friends. She went over to her husband, and touched his arm. It would be strange for him to have a family get-together without his older brother, even if it had been his own choice. "Are you ready?" She asked him softly. "Because I think the guests will arrive at any moment."

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

Grace had looked forward to meeting with family again over the holidays. She always liked Christmas at her aunt's house, though she felt slightly guilty for preferring it to Christmas at her parent's house. It was just difficult to relax at home when her father never shut up about her job and how he wanted something else for her, and recently, about how she should be using her connections to the Minister to get ahead. Grace had practice tuning him out, but it still didn't make a very good Christmas. There was also the fact that he didn't really approve of Dominik, and she hated the idea that her boyfriend could sense the disapproval. It wasn't like her father was usually very subtle about it. It may be less now that Dominik had found a job at the Ministry, but she wasn't sure. Her dad rarely changed his mind. It was also just nice to be around her cousins, especially now that Dominik had his younger brother over. She hoped he could hang out with Alice or Diana, as they were around the same age. Grace was holding Dominik's hand as they arrived, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before they entered the garden. She waved at her aunt and cousins, leading Dominik and Germaine over to socialize a little.

 

[Rose Holland]

Rose had quickly gotten used to getting to use magic outside of school, and had used it to make the garden look as nice as it could for the party. She had added a lot of flowers and other decorations, stringing up lights as well for when it became a little darker. She was pretty pleased with the result, and a little proud that her parents trusted her to do this for the party. Just as she added some last finishing touches, the first guests arrived. It was Grace with her boyfriend and his brother, and Rose waved at them cheerfully. "Hi!" She called from where she was fixing some flowers on one of the tables. She would go over to greet them properly soon, but she wanted to get this all perfect before everyone else arrived.

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe had been delighted to hear she could invite her girlfriend to this Christmas party. And out of her sisters, she was the only one with a guest because she was the only one with a significant other. Somehow, all three of her sisters had broken up with their boyfriends over the past few months. Phoebe wasn't sure how that had happened, but she was pleased her and Charlie were going strong. Charlie had arrived a bit earlier, and the two of them had just spent the afternoon hanging out together in Phoebe's room. Now that it was time for the party, Phoebe had parked them in a spot near the back where they could see everyone well. She had already stolen one of Rose's carefully arranged snack bowls, and was sharing the crisps with Charlie from their half-hidden spot. "That's my cousin, you know her from Hogwarts probably. The flying Professor" She commented as Grace entered. "With her boyfriend, he looks kinda goofy. Oh and I think that's his brother, he also looks kinda goofy." She shrugged and munched on some crisps. She was planning to keep a running commentary going to keep Charlie entertained and out of the spotlight. She knew her girlfriend hated to be in a crowd of strangers, and she hoped that staying back a bit would keep most of the guests from approaching them.

 

[Dominik Milne]

Dominik genuinely loved spending time with Grace's family, especially now that his parents were on the verge of a divorce and things weren't going all too well back home. At least things were going well at his own, well Grace's house in which he was living so comfortably these days that it seemed as if they were already living together. He was grateful that they did not mind him bringing along his brother, Germaine, with him. Like himself, his brother needed to get out of the house while their parents were sorting everything out. He hoped that with Grace's cousins being around Germaine's age, he would have plenty of fun himself tonight since Dominik would probably socialise with the adults for most of the evening. He smiled broadly when Grace kissed him on the cheek and ruffled his brother's hair as they walked towards the others. Because he didn't know if they should've brought presents or not, Dominik decided to buy a bouquet of flowers for Mrs Holland and two dozens of Wizard crackers for everyone to open at some point.

 

[Germaine Milne]

Germaine was more than happy to accompany his brother and his brother's girlfriend to her family's Christmas party. It was nice of them to have him over for the holidays, especially with his parents being idiots at the moment. He hadn't seen much of Dominik ever since he had graduated from school so it was also just a good excuse to see him again and spend time with him and Grace for as long as they let him stay over. Following closely behind the two adults as they entered the garden, he could hardly think of his brother as an adult, Germaine hoped that people of his own age would soon show up as well so he could leave the two of them and do his own thing while they were here.

 

[Diana Hollis]

Diana was wearing a cute dress for this party, but even that couldn't save her mood. She didn't want to stand around in the garden with her parents' friends all afternoon, especially when she hadn't gotten to invite anyone of her own. Phoebe was with her girlfriend, which only seemed to rub in Diana's own single status. At least Rose or Alice had no boyfriends either, but Rose was busy, and hanging out with her little sister would be pretty lame. Especially since Winnie was probably coming, and Diana wished she had a handsome boy on her arm to show off the first time she saw her old friend again. But she would just have to deal. At least she knew she probably looked better than Winnie, and she could say whatever she wanted about what was happening at Hogwarts. Winnie had no way to check if what she said was true or not. Diana spotted Grace arriving with her boyfriend and his brother and took him in. He was around her age, but she decided he looked a little dorky. She didn't much feel like babysitting some strange boy today, so she went to get a drink and hoped Alice would feel obligated to be nice. At least she usually did.

 

[Alice Holland]

It was so nice to be back home for the Christmas holiday, and it was especially nice to see Rose again! Alice had missed her oldest sister a lot at Hogwarts. It was so strange that she wasn't there anymore. Alice had helped her oldest sister set things up, and now she was excitedly waiting for the guests to arrive. She was a little worried about her cousin Eric, as she heard they were coming too, but she also hoped that perhaps there would be a way to make peace with him today. After all, it was Christmas. What was a better time? Alice looked up curiously as Grace came in with her boyfriend. She ran up to them to greet them, giving Grace a quick hug before waving at Dominik cheerfully. "Welcome!" She said with a grin. Then she looked at the boy accompanying them. She had known Dominik's brother was coming with him, so it wasn't difficult to guess who this was. "Hi, I'm Alice Holland." She said, holding out her hand for him to shake.

 

[Melanie Holland]

Melanie hadn't been this nervous about anything in a while. She knew that James had invited her, so she wasn't intruding. She knew that Vincent wasn't coming today, so there would be no drama there. She knew Eric understood that he had to behave, even though she couldn't be sure if he would. But even knowing all of this, nerves danced in Melanie's stomach as she entered the garden of James' house. He and his wives were the hosts, and most of the people here so far were family members she already knew. Melanie relaxed a little bit, glad that it was a small gathering like James had said. She turned to her two sons, giving Eric a stern look as he was already looking angry. "We are guests here, I expect you to behave. Eric, you'll be nice to your cousins if they talk to you. I want you to stay where I can see you." She said, though she wished she didn't have to be so strict with him. Him acting out was always a cause of stress for Melanie, but it also hurt her because she knew he was only doing it because he was unhappy. She wanted him to be happy and carefree instead of so angry all the time, but especially when it came to their extended family, it was difficult to get Eric to relax. She ruffled his hair playfully, showing him that she wasn't only going to be strict. "Go on, get you and your brother some snacks." She said. She was hoping that this event would help him feel at ease around his family. Immediately looking for a familiar face, Melanie drifted over to James and his wife. She noticed a young woman who had to be her niece, Grace, though she had never met her before. James had said nothing but good about Grace, but Melanie still had trouble facing Vincent's daughter. She could only guess what sort of things her oldest brother had said to her daughter about her. It couldn't be anything good, if he'd mentioned her at all. Melanie tucked some hair behind her ear, glanced over at where Eric and Connor were, and then nudged James. "Merry Christmas." She told her brother. "Thanks for inviting me."

 

[Eric Holland]

It had been bad enough to be dragged over to the minister's house when her kids had been at Hogwarts. Now that everyone was here, Eric knew it would just be miserable. He hadn't told his mother about the fight in the hallway with Alice Holland, but he didn't expect the girl to have kept it quiet. He was sure it was going to come up in one way or another. Even if it didn't, it was bound to be an annoying day. He couldn't accept how everyone in this family seemed to love pretending they were all a big happy family, even if Eric hadn't known any of these people until he was eleven. He sighed when they arrived and he saw how few people were there. He had hoped he could hide out in a crowd, or at least find some kids he wasn't related to to hang out with. He had known the party was only for family and close friends, but he had expected the minister to have a few more friends. Eric sighed as his mother warned him to behave. As if he would get in trouble in front of so many adults. No, Eric was going to behave perfectly, as long as no one tried to talk to him. He nodded when his mother told him and his brother to get some snacks, and dragged Connor over to the nearest table with snacks. "This is so dumb." He muttered under his breath. "Right?"

 

[Charlie Madison]

Charlie was more anxious about tonight than she had even expected to be, and she had expected to be pretty anxious. Big crowds of strangers didn't sit well with her at the best of times, and these were strangers she wanted to make a good impression on. The longer her relationship with Phoebe lasted, the more terrified Charlie got that something was going to ruin this. She didn't know if she could see her future without the Ravenclaw now, and that meant Phoebe's family had to like her. So Charlie had dressed up nice and was trying to look as pleasant and normal as she could, though it was taking quite a lot of effort. It was a relief that Phoebe seemed content for the two of them to stay secreted away, chatting amongst themselves. She giggled softly at Phoebe's commentary about the guests, nodding slightly. "Are there a lot of people from school coming?" She asked in an undertone.

 

[James Holland]

Mixed emotions wasn't quite a strong enough term for how James felt about today's party. He was excited to see so many friends and family all together, but throwing this party also meant throwing away a stance he had bound himself to as a very young man. In the conflict between his older and younger siblings, James had always taken a neutral position, a position he had come to regret deeply as the years drew on. Now, though, he had taken a step in a direction, albeit a very small one. James had invited Mel today, and had absolutely no intention of inviting Vincent any time soon. The more he thought about how Vincent had treated Melanie in the past, the angrier he grew with the man. There was nothing forgiveable about Vincent's actions. So James had chosen a side at last, the side he should have taken twenty years ago. He was drawn out of his thoughts when Claudia touched his arm, smiling warmly at the contact. It was a relief to know that no matter what, he would have such an incredible woman by his side. "All set." He said softly, looking around at the party they had set up. Everything was going to be fine, he just had to relax. James smiled warmly when Melanie approached, ignoring her attempt at a casual elbow and going in for a hug. "Thank you for coming." He said warmly, releasing his sister. "It's so good to see you and the boys."

 

[Connor Holland]

Connor couldn't think of a single event more perfectly designed to terrify him than this party. So many of his intimidating family members all in one place, no doubt with their bodyguards too, and Eric wasn't making a secret of the fact that he wasn't happy to be here. This could only end poorly. Connor didn't see any sign of the girl who had hit Eric, but that didn't mean she wasn't around, hiding somewhere. What if she and Eric got into another fistfight?! In front of the Minister!? This was all too much for Connor, and he desperately wanted to just go home. Miserably, he followed Eric over to the snacks, letting his brother lead the way, and simply nodded when Eric commented that the event was dumb. He didn't really care about any of this, Connor just wanted to be as far away as he could, as soon as he could.

 

[Eva Marsh]

It was hard not to be nervous about today, but Eva was never going to show it. She had been rebuilding her life since the separation as best she could, though Colin and Winnie's move had stung. She missed having her daughter around, and strangely missed Colin too. Though there was no denying their marriage had needed to end, Eva couldn't help missing having her ex-husband around as a friend. Today she would hopefully be seeing them again, and Eva wanted to make sure things were right with Colin. Make sure they could lay a good foundation to be friends. Looking around the party as she arrived, Eva was both disappointed and relieved not to see either Colin or Winnie yet, glad for the time to collect herself before seeing them. Smiling warmly, she made her way over to James and another lady he was talking to, stepping into the conversation with a warm smile. "Hi, James, thank you so much for the invitation, so lovely to see you again." She said cheerfully, touching James on the arm.

 

[Germaine Milne]

Germaine smiled at the girl who approached them and shook her hand once she held it out for him to shake. ''I'm Germaine Milne,'' the boy replied, his French accent a lot thicker than Dominik's was because unlike his brother, Germaine still spend most of his time in France. While they spoke in English at home, he preferred to speak French due to the fact that both most of his friends and the professors at school spoke it also - it was much easier to communicate with one another. So Germaine tried his best when talking so the people here would understand what he was saying. ''Are there more people of our age?'' Assuming that Alice was of his age because she looked like she was. He wouldn't mind spending the night with Dominik and Grace but was doubtful that either of them would enjoy having him around throughout the night.

@Alice Holland

 

[Claudia Holland]

The guests started arriving and Claudia smiled at Grace and her boyfriend. She stepped over to them and greeted them both. "Hello Grace, Dominik. How lovely to have you here." She said, giving them both a warm smile. She glanced around to see what her daughters were up to, and was glad none of them seemed to be getting into any trouble yet. She nodded at Dominik's brother. "And you must be Germaine, welcome to our home." She said, though she was glad to see Alice socializing with the boy quickly. Her youngest daughter had always been social, and she hoped she could help him feel at ease. Melanie arrived next, and Claudia smiled as she saw her head over to James. She would greet her soon too, but wanted to allow her husband some time with her sister. Eva arrived as well, and Claudia vowed to speak to her soon too. She wondered how she was doing, it was still strange to see her at these events without her now ex-husband, though Colin would be attending too.

 

[Alice Holland]

Alice smiled at the boy as he introduced himself. She thought the French accent was pretty nice, but he also spoke English very well. His question made her think. "Well... there's me and my sisters." She said, pointing to herself, then pointing out Diana, Phoebe and Rose. "Diana is over there, Phoebe is talking to her girlfriend and Rose is over there fussing over decorations." She said, turning around in a circle as she pointed them all out before facing Germaine again. "I believe Winnie Marsh is coming too, she's Diana's friend." She said with a smile. "I think that's it, though. Are you staying with your brother and Grace for the entire holidays?"

 

[Phoebe Holland]

Phoebe watched her cousins as they arrived, her eyes narrowing at Eric in particular. Alice had told her not to go after him about what had happened, but she didn't like that he had fought with her sister. She turned her head to Charlie again as she asked a question. "Not many, just those two." She said, nodding to the younger boys. "I'm pretty sure." She smiled. "When things get too boring, let's think of a way to spice it up a bit." She was thinking maybe Eric could be caught up in whatever she could think of. It wouldn't be her fault if it was an accident, would it?

 

[Melanie Holland]

Melanie was oddly relieved when James insisted on hugging her, and leaned into the hug for a moment before she stepped back. "I'll remember you said that when Eric sets something on fire." She muttered under her breath, but she was smiling. "It's good to see you too." She admitted. She had the almost childish impulse to stay near him, as she felt almost shy around these strangers that were friends with the Minister of Magic. She hadn't often been shy, so she wasn't sure what to think about that. A beautiful woman appeared and spoke to James, not even acknowledging her. Melanie wondered if she should leave them to talk or stay where she was. She decided to stay, her arms crossed protectively in front of her. Had the lady not noticed her? Melanie cleared her throat. "Hey, I'm Melanie. James' sister." She said, no longer letting herself be ignored. At least she no longer felt shy.

 

[Colin Michaels]

Colin was as nervous as ever when he was invited to attend Claudia and James’ christmas party. As excited as he was to see his old friends again after his return to the UK, especially now that he was sure that neither Claudia or James would judge him for who he really was, his worries about seeing Eva again and dropping Winnie off to spend the holidays with her were more overwhelming. He had nothing but confidence in Eva’s parenting and knew they both agreed they wanted what was best for their daughter, but he worried nevertheless. It was no secret that Winnie had taken the news of their separation badly, and had since done everything she could to show her disagreement, and Colin worried Winnie would feel worse knowing from that moment on she would need to travel between their houses. He worried that spending time in the home they all used to share together would make Winnie act more rebellious than usual, and didn’t want Eva to be forced to deal with it alone. On top of everything, he worried Winnie would do something to ruin the party they were attending, and Colin was doing everything he could to reassure her that this year the holidays would be happy for everyone.​

As they arrived, Winnie was quiet, and not knowing whether that was a good or bad sign, Colin tried to feign optimism, walking into the house with a polite smile on his face as Winnie followed behind him. Eventually he spotted Eva with Claudia, James, and a woman he didn’t recognize. He walked over to greet the group, wanting to avoid the awkwardness of how long it had been since the last time they were all together. “Hello everyone, merry christmas.” He said, moving to place his hand on Winnie’s shoulder when she stood next to him. “I didn’t have time to bring a bottle of wine for the party.” Colin added, aware he had shown up empty handed which wasn’t the norm for him.​

 

[Winnie Marsh]

The last place Winnie wanted to be was a christmas party hosted by the Hollands, let alone in New Zealand for the holidays. Even if her dad did nothing but tell her she would have fun and seeing her mum again was worth it, she refused to believe him, already assuming what the holidays and specifically the party would entail. If it was like any other Holland party it would be nothing other than boring and filled with people she didn’t want to see or speak to, meaning it would be a complete waste of her time. She had no patience for it, expecting to count every minute until she could leave and wishing she was staying at Domi’s house instead. Thus she showed up feeling irritated, with her arms crossed over her torso and a frown on her face, wanting to make it clear to everyone she didn’t want to be there. As she followed her dad to where her mum was, she kept her gaze on the floor, only looking up to wish Mr and Mrs Holland a disgruntled “Merry Christmas” out of obligation before she turned around to stand literally anywhere else. Diana was no longer her friend and good riddance, and Winnie barely knew the other Holland sisters, but she would never be caught dead standing with boring adults, and walked around the house until she could get a drink of juice and situate herself in a corner, trying to pretend she was better than being there. Despite repeatedly bugging Analei for gossip back at Hogwarts New Zealand, Winnie wanted to show that she was done with her old life, and that the people she used to know were no longer worth her time, and she couldn’t think of a better way to achieve that. She sipped her juice and sighed as she waited, either for something interesting to happen or for the moment she could leave, assuming the day would be more boring than she anticipated.​

 

[Eva Marsh]

Eva felt as though she had spent her entire adult life carrying herself a particular way. Always composed, always together, never a stumble in her step to be seen. Now, though... everything felt different since she had come out. She had only told a handful of people that she was gay, not entirely ready for the reactions of her colleagues yet, but even if the change to her outward life had been minimal so far, the change to Eva's inner life was enormous. Without the floodgates of fear to hold them back, Eva's feelings when she spoke to particularly beautiful women had become almost overwhelming, and it was difficult to keep the composure she was used to presenting in public.

It had felt easier for a moment to simply pretend James was by himself than to acknowledge the beautiful woman he was talking to, but that option was soon taken away by the woman introducing herself. Melanie. Oh, no, and she was James's sister. Eva could tell she was smiling a little too wide as she took Melanie's hand, shaking it warmly. "It's lovely to meet you, Melanie." She managed, surprised at how normal her voice sounded, compared with how uneasy she felt inside. "I'm Eva Marsh, I'm a friend of James and Claudia's." So far so good, somehow. And blessedly, Eva's nerves about the conversation were interrupted by the arrival of her ex-husband. Since their separation, Eva felt closer to Colin than ever, relieved to have him as a friend with the barrier of years of secrets gone from between them. And Winnie was there too, Eva's heart melting slightly at the sight of her. She understood why Winnie had wanted to go to England with Colin, but Eva missed her daughter every day, smiling warmly at the sight of her. Her heart sank though, when Winnie simply wished them a Merry Christmas and went on her way. Another bridge to mend, she supposed.

 

[Vincent Holland]

Vincent didn't see his younger brother all that often these days, but he had never thought there was anything wrong between them. Vincent and James had never fought, despite their differences, but now... well, Vincent was going to hope for the best in all this. Surely, his invitation had just gotten lost, an unreliable owl. Grace had let him know about the party anyway, and Vincent was going to make a point of making an appearance. It would hardly do for a member of the Minister's family not to show up to a party, after all. And there were always professional connections to be made or strengthened on this side of the globe. The French and New Zealand ministries didn't deal together terribly often, but Vincent never saw the harm in having connections in his back pocket.

So he had dressed his best, and traveled all the way from France to New Zealand to see his family. It would be good to see Grace again, remind her she really should be making connections of her own, for when she moved into a real job in the Ministry. Vincent did his best, but he didn't know how much longer he could put up with his daughter running around acting like a child. Grace was well into adulthood, it was well past time she stopped pretending teaching children to play a game was a career. Hopefully tonight would help her see that, see what real success looked like in James and Claudia's undoubtedly illustrious Ministry friends. He wrinkled his nose at the sight of a party set up outdoors, but Vincent supposed James and Claudia had to respect the traditions of this country. A Christmas in summer though.... felt horribly wrong.

Stepping into the garden, Vincent cast his eyes around to see where his family was. His nieces seemed to be scattered about, all much older than they had been last time Vincent had seen them. He would have to remember to see their new baby before leaving. And there was Grace and her boyfriend. Vincent hadn't been a fan of the boy at first, but at least he had been mature enough to wise up and get a real job before those dragons mangled him. Claudia next to them, looking every bit the wise politician she had grown to be. Though he didn't entirely approve of his career choice, Vincent had no choice but to applaud his brother on his choice of wife. Claudia had grown into quite an exceptional woman. As for James himself... Vincent's thoughts stopped in their tracks as he saw who James was standing with.

It had been decades since Vincent had seen his youngest sister, but he wouldn't forget her face anywhere. Nothing in Vincent's life had hurt as badly as Melanie betraying the family, and he felt as though he had never fully trusted a soul since. And here she was, laughing and chatting with James and his friends, as if she belonged here. As if she somehow deserved to be part of this family after everything she had done. Vincent felt his composure slip as he stormed across the garden, glaring furiously between his brother and sister, all care about causing a scene gone out the window. "What is she doing here?!" Vincent snapped to James, glaring at Melanie.

 

[Melanie Holland]

The indignation that the woman was ignoring her was smoothed away the moment she actually turned her attention to Melanie. There was something soothing about the woman's voice, and Melanie felt like she couldn't actually be annoyed with her for very long. "Nice to meet you Eva Marsh." She said with a slight smile, using the woman's full name in an attempt to be playful. She had no idea if she was here with a husband, but for now, Melanie could dream. She was just about to ask more about this intriguing stranger, when she noticed a hushed silence falling over the party.

Melanie only had time to see Claudia tense and shoot James a warning look before she realized what was happening. She turned to see her oldest brother storming his way towards her with a familiar expression on his face. Just like that, Melanie was transported back in time twenty years ago, seeing this same expression aimed at her as Vincent told her to get out and never return if that was what she truly wanted. Old rage and old sadness mixed inside Melanie as she watched Vincent approach, coming to a boil when he addressed James instead of her. The first time the two saw each other in two decades, and he couldn't even talk to her? Melanie snapped. "She is right here, has a voice and can speak." She said loudly to Vincent to draw his attention. "She is here because she got invited." James had told her Vincent wasn't coming. She didn't think her brother would lie to her, so he had to have turned up without an invitation. "And she is still your sister. Nice to see you too, brother." She said, unable to disguise the hurt she felt. Of course she had known better than to expect a warm welcome from Vincent, especially if she showed up unexpectedly for him, but the plain disgust in his expression and voice were still a lot for her to handle.

 

[Professor Grace Holland]

It was nice to see her cousins again, and Grace thought it was nice that Alice and Dominik's little brother seemed to be making friends. She greeted her aunt when she greeted them, letting go of Dominik's hand briefly to give her a quick hug. The aunt she had never met before was nearby too, but Grace felt oddly shy about being near her. For most of her life she hadn't even known about this aunt, and now here she was. Even from a slight distance, Grace could tell they really did look fairly similar, as her uncle had once mentioned in passing. But before Grace could really think about approaching her aunt, she spotted something alarming. Her dad was passing through the gates, and Grace's stomach dropped at the sight of him. She knew he wasn't invited. He wasn't even supposed to know about this party. But it had been nagging on her vaguely for a while now, as she hadn't been entirely sure if she had mentioned it to him in passing. She still wrote to her dad, and he also floo called her occasionally. She hadn't even considered that he might drop in on the party. He usually was so busy in France. Grace flushed in embarrassment as her dad stormed through the garden to his sister. "Dad!" She called, mortified.