Closed I'm slipping under.....

Eliza felt herself relaxing again as her Aunt told the story about her days in school. She could just imagine how Julie reacted to the couple's antics when they were young. They were wild and fun and her favorites because of that. Their house was always warm and welcoming and wild whenever she visited.

"I can't believe you two would do that! Wait, wait......I can," she laughed. There was a bottle of something on the table. Not sure what alcohol it was, she poured a glass and held it up to Lily. "I think we both need this about now."
 
As she recounted the catalyst of their relationship, Sumner chuckled and grabbed his wife's hand, brushing a kiss across her knuckles. "I guess we shouldn't mention the fight at the Halloween dance," his grey eyes sparkled with mirth. "Or the detention that followed." The laughter was a wonderful feeling, full of life in a time of sorrow. He knew Julie would have been laughing along with them and somewhere she still was. Laughing and beautiful and waiting for the day they'd join her again.

His gaze cut to where the other half of their entourage were on the balcony. Professor Styx, here. He shook his head slightly in amused disbelief. He hadn't seen that man in many a year. He mentally shrugged and turned his attention back to the laughing group around him.
 
Erik leaned in, his head resting in the crook of his hand. He knew instinctively that Lily and Sumner were holding back an obscene amount of detail. That much teasing should be illegal. BORING! Erik thought he might pay to have detention with that fine stranger. He noticed that the patio doors were obscured; it was even more disappointing that he couldn’t spy.

Since his uncle and aunt were playing coy, Erik decided to stir things up a bit. “So are you two cooking up your seventeenth goblin, or do you take turns giving your livers a break?” he blurted. He knew that they had nowhere near seventeen children, but he honestly couldn’t remember, and they did have quite the litter at this point.
 
Lily was so happy to see her husband start to emerge from his funk. She couldn't blame Sumner. Julie was like a mom to both of them, despite being their sister in law and a muggle. She didn't let bloodlines stop her from caring for the Ravenclaw pair like they were her own.

"That Halloween was epic! So worth risking my prefects badge over. Remember us dancing to that old song and setting Blake off? Only thing I wish is that I got a few good hits in and not just stood there screaming at you guys." The smile on her face conveyed how much she loved reliving the start of their relationship. Everything was so new and exciting. Now it was still just as exciting but in a whole new way. Instead of sneaking around avoiding prying eyes of professors, they were sneaking around to avoid their children. Love them all dearly, but every couple needs some quality time alone every day. If they weren't creative, the newest Drage would not be currently baking in the oven.

Erik was just cheeky enough to ask if she was pregnant again. She glanced at her husband to let him decide if they should say anything or not. "Why don't you be a doll and grab me a ginger ale with raspberries and strawberries and maybe, just maybe, we will answer that question."
 
Valcan looked at his eldest son. Without glancing at the man he spoke to, he said, through gritted teeth, “I am certainly not here to converse with the likes of you, Joshua Hanson.” The elderly wizard avoided further eye contact with the impertinent man. Age had caused Hanson to rot, not ripen. As a young boy, Tristan had potential; Valcan was convinced Hanson was one of the many reasons Tristan had fallen so far.

The elderly wizard turned his full attention back to Tristan, switching to his native language. Valcan preferred his home dialect more and more as he grew older and had come to resent English. Brunhilde and Lief would understand, but Valcan did not mind. His statement was harsh and succinct.

“When you are finished with this business, Tristan, come home. I have a task for you.”

Valcan lingered for a moment, in a silent exchange Then he spun on his heel and passed through the entranceway. No further greetings, no condolences, no farewells. He welcomed the evening chill as he stepped back outside.

The wizard’s skin was crawling. He had never entered a Muggle’s home and vowed never to again. However, he was curious about this conundrum with Kalif Styx, and he decided to wait and see the fallout.
 
Josh was being protective of his friend. The last thing needed today was Valcan being an arse. When the old man's attention turned to his son from Josh's distraction, he could do nothing but sit and wait to figure out what was being said. Tristan had tried to reach Josh a small bit of the old language when they were in school so they could talk privately but he never picked it up. So many years removed from the lessons, he had no clue what was being said in the slightest.

As Valcan turned and stalked off, Josh was a bit daring and flipped him a muggle double bird salute. He was surprised every time he has interaction with that man as to how much colder he got with every passing year. It was sad that Kalif Styx was capable of more compassion than his friend's own father.
 
Eliza pulled the offered glass back and slammed it down. Either Lily was the sober person for the night or something else was going on and Eliza was as determined as Erik to find out. She listened to the couple reminiscing about their school days and laughed with them. She could just imagine the pair causing a riot at the school dance. "Hey, don't forget about when you both were here for Christmas the first time. You barely could keep apart then. I remember you helped Lily to her guest room and were no more in the room before you were making out," she recalled. "In your hurry, you guys didn't exactly shut the door right and we were trying to figure out what you were doing in there." She motioned the we as her and Erik. They were only 4 or 5 at the time but Eliza always remembered that stolen moment in the couple's past as a goal. Every relationship she was in was held to that standard. Sumner and Lily were supportive and respectful and loving and so attracted to each other after all these years. That was exactly what she wanted and was willing to wait forever if needed.
 
Normally, Tristan would have roared at Josh’s rude gestures. Especially when they were directed towards people neither of them liked. Except, Tristan had a hard lump in his throat and a rock twisting his insides. He frowned as he watched his father walk away and disappear out the front door.

Lief leaned over to Daisy’s ear. She scrunched up her face in frustration, reddening when he translated for her.

Brunhilde sighed, muttering Dra til helvete, Far under her breath. Go to hell. Tristan thought his father would be quite delighted in hell.

“That was actually generous of him, Tristan,” Brunhilde added drily, “he laughed when I told him Grezhen passed away.”

Grezhen was Brunhilde’s ex-husband, a half-blood and werewolf infatuated with Muggle automobiles. For the brief time Tristan had known Grezhen, Tristan thought him an upstanding wizard. Naturally, Valcan wanted nothing to do with him.

None of Valcan’s children had met his lofty expectations. Surely, Sammael still made him proud from the grave.

Come home. What did that mean, exactly? Tristan had not lived at the Herrogard for half a century. And it had been nearly thirty years since he had stepped foot there.

Tristan’s mind was too chaotic for him to make decisions right now. He shook off his father’s shadow and reached for his snuffed out cigar, lighting it again.
 
Erik raised a dark eyebrow at his aunt. “Well, that’s oddly specific.” However, he did as he was told. Erik slipped into the dining room just in time to see his grandfather’s turned back and Josh making a definitive statement with his hands.

“Naughty, naughty,” Erik tutted, waggling his finger at Josh. Knowing Valcan Drage, it was probably well-deserved. There was no love lost between grandfather and grandson. When the elder Drage had discovered that Erik fancied blokes, whether they were a wizard, Squib, Muggle, part-creature, or something in-between, he had called him a dead-end and a disgrace to purebloods across the world. The man could turn to dust as far as Erik was concerned.

Erik noticed his father’s expression, even more sour than before, and decided not to joke further. He got to work meeting Lily’s request. However, deciding that it was too much effort to make just one, he summoned eight glasses from the cupboard. He waved his wand, filling each cup with ice, raspberries, and strawberries. Then, levitating the bottle of ginger ale, he tipped it over each glass until they were sparkling and fragrant. Carrying two glasses, he set the rest to float about the house, so anyone in need of refreshment could grab one. They were pretty, glowing with a mix of red and amber in the candlelight.

Erik entered the living area again, handing Lily her drink and giving her an impatient look. Then, he turned and offered the second drink to the part-giantess. “No alcohol in this one, love. But if you want something stronger, there’s plenty of that to go around.”

@Lily Drage @Imogen Von Klampenverb-Popple
 
Teuila stood up and snatched one of the glasses out of the air when she heard the words no alcohol. The mother of two (soon three) was not ready to share her news just yet. She was simply enjoying the banter between her in-laws and didn’t want to spoil anything important.

If that severe-looking man had been Lily and Sumner’s professor, he must teach at Hogwarts New Zealand. Strange, that the wizard would travel so far, and with the school year not yet over! Teuila wondered if he was one of her daughter’s professors. If he was as strict as he sounded, she imagined the free-spirited Tilly would struggle in his classes.

Teuila looked up to the part-giantess. She was Seth’s guest. Smiling, the muggle-born witch raised her glass of ginger ale in greeting. “Hi, I’m Teuila- Christian’s wife. Don’t worry if you can’t remember names or relationships- this group is quite forgiving.” The Drage family, sprawling as it was, had to be.

@Imogen Von Klampenverb-Popple
 
"Eliza! Are you serious? You were spying on us?" Lily pretended to be offended, but couldn't hold back laughter. That first night in the Drage house together was crazy! She had arrived with Julie's nephew, Luke, and his family. Julie, later confessing to the younger, wasn't sure where Lily's heart was at and had a feeling about Sumner. Sending the pair to her room was Julie's way to see what would happen. And nothing too much would happen in under 5 minutes. When Sumner came down a bit flushed, she knew the two were a couple or at least on the way to becoming one.

Erik returned with a drink for her and she watched as Teulia also grabbed the same. Her nephew and niece in law had not made any announcement yet either, but she suspected that here might be one coming soon from them as well.

Erik was incorrigible and the looks he was giving Lily were just begging her to spill the tea all over the place. "Okay, okay Erik. Yes, we are pregnant again,but this it NOT seventeen. This baby will make an even ten, and that is the last of our goblins," she said with a grin. Sumner had already had things handled in his end. After the birth, she would be doing the same. They really didn't want or need any more surprises than they already got on a daily basis from their kids.
 
Sumner laughed and thought about the procedure he'd had done last month. Let's just say it involved him sitting in his underoos with a frozen pack of peas he'd pilfered from the ice box held against his boys. They were taking no more chances. "After all," he said aloud, "we've already got our own Quidditch team with pitch hitters on the side lines." The Quidditch coach sipped from his own very alcoholic drink.
 
Erik beamed and raised his glass at the two. “One- ten- seventeen- really, what’s the difference?” For Erik, any number of children would be overwhelming. Being a father was not in the cards for a man like him. Between all of his family members, they had that subject covered. Taking a sip of his drink, he leaned against the wall, squatting like he had found an invisible chair. It was always a good time to work on one’s glutes.

Sipping at his drink, Erik asked, “So, what are you going to name your new Quidditch team?” It was obscene, really, how many Quidditch players they had in the family. Erik, on the other hand, was perfectly content to never ride a broom again.
 
Lily loved Erik as if he were her own blood relation. He was so snarky but in a good way. "Let me know when you are coming to babysit next, you'll see the difference between all of them being home and just one or two," she replied with a grin. Julie always loved the banter between the kids in the family and this was the kind of chatter she would be listening to and laughing along with them. "So we need a team name? Hmmm, how about the Flavortown Flames? You know, after a certain uncle of theirs?" She smirked at Erik, the running joke between them over his choice of love interest. He teased her about ending up with his big lug of an uncle, she teased him about playing the field with the boys.
 
Teuila choked on her fancy ginger ale at the exchange between Lily and Erik. Coughing hard, she tried not to laugh as she caught her breath. Julie would be roaring if she were here. Maybe she was, on some other plane. She would love that other people were joking and enjoying themselves.

Then, Teuila’s gaze wandered over to Eliza, and she saw Julie there, in the red hair, kind face, and strong features. Tears welled up in Teuila’s eyes at the thought of the woman they’d all lost. She would never meet Christian and Teuila’s littlest one, nor Lily and Sumner’s.

Teuila tried to hold it in, but in seconds she was full-on sobbing, loudly, into her hands. Teuila was an emotional witch by nature, but pregnancy amplified it tenfold. She had no control.

@Eliza Bennett
 
Tristan looked down as two little gremlins pulled at his shirt. Axel and Artem, Lily and Sumner’s youngest sons. Quickly, he snuffed out his cigar once more, his grimace melting into a smile. Trying to appear happy was not easy, but the young ones couldn’t share the burden of his grief. He glanced over at Josh. “Thanks for bringing the smokes. I needed it.”

He rose from his seat, lifting the two boys in his arms and carrying them easily. Artem snuggled into his shoulder, not even two years of age. Axel was more wild and wiggly. Tristan threw Axel over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and he screeched with laughter. He saw these two, all of Lily and Sumner’s children really, as his grandchildren, even though they were technically his nieces and nephews. Julie and Tristan had stepped up as parents for the two rambunctious Ravenclaws when their own failed them.

Speaking of parents, Tristan wanted to make sure his father had left the house. He was both relieved and annoyed that Valcan hadn’t approached Sumner. The old man couldn’t spare a simple hello. Tristan carried the two boys into the living area. As always, the group was loud and raucous.

Erik was sitting against the wall, looking very pleased with himself; the center of some controversy as always. Tristan dumped Axel into Erik’s lap in a surge of mischief.

Tristan smiled up at the part-giantess. His grandson’s guest, although Tristan couldn’t remember her name. He wondered if Seth had ever heard the family rumor about giants' blood in the Drage line, centuries back. Naturally, Valcan would never entertain the idea.

Still holding Artem, who had fallen asleep, Tristan turned to Lily and Sumner. He remembered the letter they’d sent before the world turned upside-down. “That’s right… Congratulations, you two-” he started to say when Teuila erupted into sobs. Tristan found it difficult to cry publicly, but the wizard could drown in all the tears he had bottled up inside. He held Artem a little more closely.

@Lily Drage @Sumner Drage @Imogen Von Klampenverb-Popple
 
Erik's jaw dropped in mock horror. "How insensitive of you!" he joked. Then he added, with a smirk. "Promise me the flames will be multicolored."

Then his dad dropped an oversized four-year-old into his lap. Erik's legs gave out under the weight of the boy. He crashed to the ground, shouting, but managed to soften the boy's fall. Axel giggled uproariously, clearly unhurt.

Unlike the typical Drage, Erik was slender and several inches shorter in height. Axel already seemed to be taking after Sumner and Tristan, the big lugs.

"Might not be a good strategy if your whole team is made up of Beaters," Erik quipped.
 
Lydia’s mind processed at a different speed from her siblings as events unfolded. In a whirlwind, one of the twins disarmed her, Kalif Styx whisked himself away with a Portkey, and someone snatched up their mother’s book. “Give it back,” she muttered, whether to the wand or the book, the witch wasn’t even sure.

In the morning, Lydia would be horrified to know what she had done and how she had acted. Right now, she was cold, angry, and frightened. She tore away from Seth. Wandless, she tried to open the patio door. Except it was locked. She jiggled the handle, and when it wouldn’t open, she leaned her forehead into the cool glass pane, groaning.

@Slade Drage
 
With the older wizard out of the picture, Christian felt more comfortable speaking up. “That was poor judgment, Slade.” He rose from the bench, his face trained. “You want to tell all of us why you joined up with the Scitorari?” Christian gestured at Slade’s hand with his chin.

Christian’s knowledge of the Scitorari was limited to hushed conversation, speculation, and rumour, but he was of the opinion that they were no good. Why Slade would get tied up in such an organization was beyond him.

@Slade Drage
 
Olivia had felt a mixture of confusion and excitement at Kalif’s arrival. But before she even had a chance to say a proper hello, he vanished. The witch felt the sudden urge to burst into tears.

Holding back a sob, she choked, “We need to talk about this. But not tonight.” Olivia had no idea what a Scitorari was, and she certainly didn’t wish to go into the details now. She wanted time to mull things over. At the same time, she needed to properly grieve Grandma Julie.

She held out a large hand. “I’ll take Lydia’s wand. She’ll get it back in the morning.” When her brother handed over the wand, Olivia felt a little chill up her spine. What did Lydia say the core was? Basilisk Fang?

Olivia pocketed the wand and wrapped an arm around her sister. “Time for shut-eye,” she said. With a clumsy Alohomora, she opened the door, carrying Lydia through the crowd of noisy family members. Olivia didn’t address any of them. She found one of the guest rooms, not caring if someone else had claimed it. Lydia was already falling asleep as Olivia tucked her into bed.

Olivia imagined that Lydia would throw herself into the Bay tomorrow morning after realizing what a drunken idiot she’d been. Well, it was good for Lydia to be human and mess up for once.

Returning to the living area, Olivia looked up at @Imogen Von Klampenverb-Popple. She felt terribly sorry for the girl, getting dragged into all this drama. If their family didn’t scare Imogen away, Olivia didn’t know what would. “What do you say about a change of scenery? The local bar is much less crowded.” A cold, cheap beer sounded delicious right about now.
 
Slade fell into silence when the grandfather left. He sighed as he watched his siblings, though when Lydia dropped a notebook, he bent down and picked it up. The handwriting was unmistakable. He did not believe her when she said that Kalif was the cause of Jaken's disability. He put it in his robes as Christian asked if he would care explain why he joined the Scitorari. He looked down at his ring, before he took it off and shoved it in his pocket. "Or, how about this. You can get your nose out of my ********* business." Slade folded his arms across his chest, and looked at his uncle, while he saw his other siblings heading inside. He followed after, seeing his big sister ask his brother's large squeeze to go to the bar. "I'm in."​
 
Christian didn’t think it was worth responding to Slade, given that Seth was their only audience with Olivia and Lydia’s exit. He watched as the twins followed their sisters into the house.

Noise erupted from the open door, which was muffled as Seth slid the door behind him. Christian had noted Seth’s uncomfortable smile. Out of the twins, Seth was the more rational and even-tempered, but he hated confrontation. Slade, on the other hand, loved drama and discord.

Sighing, Christian lifted all of the charms he’d cast. Good lot they’d done. He occupied one of the deck chairs and stretched out his legs, staring up into the night sky. Morbidly, for just a moment, he thought it would be justice for Julie, Estrella, and Jaken to team up and scare Slade straight with a few grisly nightmares. But then, he remembered his own mother, and shuddered a little, pushing the thought away. The dead should stay dead.
 
Several firewhiskies in, Evan decided to call it a night. She felt guilty being away from the rest of her family, but she had to admit it was nice to get away from the mourners and numb her pain in the dive bar. Her mother’s death was sudden and unexpected, and her daughter hurt deeply not being able to say goodbye.

Evan walked back to the house by herself. She pulled her jacket closer to her body to fight off the icy air. The witch didn’t need to cast Lumos, as the stars lit her way home. As she approached their block, she could see the light and hear the noise from the family gathering. Drage functions always got rowdy.

She raised an eyebrow as she noticed a man she’d met only a handful of times in her life, standing off to the side of the property. Valcan, a man she’d never learned to call grandfather. The witch nodded at him but said nothing in greeting. She was surprised he had bothered to attend at all. Evan entered the house, feeling somewhat unsettled.

That feeling soon vanished when she noticed her cousin Carl, fast asleep in an armchair and snoring loudly. She grinned at Luke, who was in the seat opposite him and nursing a beer. Inside was overly warm with all the bodies. Even if it was mostly family, the place felt crowded. Evan knew her mom would love to see everyone commiserating.

Squeezing back tears, Evan peeled off her jacket and entered the living room. She thought she would roast to death, even in her sleeveless black dress. The witch overheard her niece and nephew discussing a trip to the place she’d just left.

“Have fun!” Evan said, raising her voice so she could be heard by Olivia and Slade, “Andromeda and Eli were doing handstands on the bar when I left. You won’t be able to miss them.”

Evan squeezed onto the end of the sofa next to Eliza. She put her head of red hair, unmistakably from Julie’s side, on her big sister’s shoulder. “Hey, ‘Liza,” Evan said, suddenly tired, “Why do I feel like I missed out on drama?”

@Eliza Bennett
@Slade Drage
@Sumner Drage
 
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