Lions And Tigers And Dragons?

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera Potter had risen early, like she did almost every day. She had dressed for the warmer summer weather that was so much different from the frigid winter going on in England at the moment. The brunette dressed Lyra and Link so that they were comfortable but presentable. Kiera had plans for lots of family pictures today. She was looking forward to seeing her sister-in-law, who had been her best friend for much longer than she had been her sister-in-law. "Mummy, what are we doing today?" Link asked her as she combed through his hair. "It's a surprise, dear. Aunt Cyndi and Noah are going to join us." she said with a grin as she tweaked his nose. Kiera loved to surprise her children, and she had been careful to conceal the truth from the toddlers. She knew that the two and a half year olds were going to love what she and Cyndi had in mind for their children.

Kiera held tightly to her twins' hands as she apparated the three of them out of their house and to the zoo. It was a much different type of zoo than the ones Kiera had visited as a child. This was a special, magical zoo filled with magical creatures as well as the ones that muggles might have. Kiera, Link, and Lyra were meeting Cyndi and Noah at the entrance way. The two young mothers had thought that the kids would really enjoy seeing all of the creatures especially the magical ones. A nice breeze blew through the air. The brunette kept a hold of Link and Lyra's hands as they walked. She always worried about their safety. There were some crazy people in the world as Kiera knew all too well. "Mum? Where are we?" Lyra asked in her soft, sweet voice. They were at the entrance now, and it appeared Cyndi had not yet arrived with Noah. Kiera knelt down, looking into the two pairs of bright green eyes with her own honey colored ones. A smile spread across her face. "We are at the zoo. But it's not just any zoo, it's a magical one. With all kinds of wonderful creatures." she said excitedly. She watched as the twins absorbed that information. "Oooh yay!" Lyra said, clapping her little hands. "Will there be dragons?" asked Link, his emerald eyes shinning. Kiera wrapped her arms around them both. "Of course! Just wait and see. You will love it!" she replied kissing the top of each child's head.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi had been up for hours, preparing herself and her son for the day that was to come. Getting Noah ready was no easy task these days. The toddler was into everything, and every time she turned around, he was emptying out his toy box or pulling clothes out of his drawer and one time Cyndi had caught him playing with the toilet paper. She’d had to hide her smile as she had unwrapped her little mummy and sat him in his room with his stuffed dragon while she quickly dressed herself. When he toddled into her room and saw her slip on her flats, he spoke. “Out?” he asked. Cyndi nodded her head and bent down to pick her little boy up. “Out” she confirmed, giving her son a quick peck, before picking up his shoes and putting them on. “We’re going to go see Auntie Kiera and Lyra and Link today!” The young mother tapped the bottom of her son’s shoe and sat him up. “Are you bringing your dragon with you?” she asked and Noah nodded his head enthusiastically, a smile on his face. He went everywhere with his dragon these days. Cyndi couldn’t wait until he had the opportunity to see the real thing up close. “Ok…let’s go!” she sang, watching as Noah slid to the floor and headed for the door, stopping when he neared his pram and diaper bag. Cyndi stopped to throw both over her shoulder and then picked the baby up, holding him close as she apparated them away to the zoo.

As soon as they landed, Cyndi did a quick inspection of her son, who was already squirming to be put down. It seemed that everything, including the dragon, had made it through in one piece. “Hang on, Noah” she urged as he continued to squirm and slide down her body. She made quick work of opening the stroller and tossing her diaper bag in as Noah was momentarily distracted by a small bird that had bravely landed beside him. As he moved to grab it with his chubby fingers, the bird easily dodged him and flew away. Noah continued to toddle along, never straying too far from his mother. Finally, Cyndi spotted her sister-in-law. She was bending down and speaking to the twins. “Look over there” she pointed over to the group they would be joining. He hadn’t spotted them yet, but she knew the moment he did. His pace quickened and Cyndi was forced to do the same. “Noah…be careful honey” she called out, not wanting him to get knocked over by any adults who weren’t looking out for toddlers. “Hi Kiera!” she greeted as she strolled over. Looking at her niece and nephew, she put her hands on her hips. “Did you two grow some more since the last time I saw you?” she asked them, a laugh on her lips. Noah came back around, peeking out from behind his mother’s leg. “Say hello, Noah” she urged him and after a moment, he opened and closed his hands by way of greeting. “Are you ready to see the animals?” she asked them.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera Potter straightened up as she heard her sister-in-law's voice. It had been quite some time since she had seen her best friend and her nephew. The young mothers were always so busy these days that it was hard to get together. Kiera wondered if she would see Cyndi so frequently if she was not married to Kiera's brother. The brunette couldn't remember the last time that she had seen Katalina Vanderhol, the only other remaining dorm room four girl. It was a thought that made Kiera sad. She pointed at Noah and Cyndi. "Look who it is!" she said to the twins. Lyra and Link both grinned and called greetings to their cousin and aunt. Lyra giggled and looked up at her aunt shyly. "No. I don't think so Aunt Cyndi." she said in a soft polite voice. "'Course we did Auntie." Link said proudly. The brother and sister's responses were so different, as were many aspects of their personalities. Kiera often wondered what they would be like when they grew up, how they would change. Kiera embraced her friend with a grin on her slender face. "So glad you could make it!" she said before scooping down and picking up Noah. She tickled his chubby little belly. "How is my favorite nephew today?" she asked him as he giggled. Kiera put Noah down, ruffling his hair.

"Well, what do you lot say? Are we ready to see the animals?" Kiera asked her children in a cheerful, echoing Cyndi's question. "YES!" "Yes!" they responded together. "C'mon then." she said taking each child by the hand. The twins were walking well by this point in their lives, so she had not brought their strollers. She thought she might regret this later when they were both tired and wanting her to carry them. Kiera was strong, but she was tiny. There was no way she could carry them both with the size they were now. Kiera looked at Cyndi, making sure she was ready before she walked on. She went to the ticket booth and paid the admission for the three children and the two adults. She didn't think Cyndi would object. She knew that her brother and sister weren't hurting for money, but neither were the Potters. The brunette woman continued forward to the giant map in front of them. "Where do you want to go first?" she asked the children and Cyndi, hoping that they didn't give her three different answers. "Dragons!" said Link. "Butterflies!" shouted Lyra. Kiera turned her honey eyes away from the replicated ones of her famous father-in-law found in both of her twins. "Noah? Cyndi?" Kiera asked.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi let out a soft chuckle at the very different responses from her niece and nephew. Each was in line with their very distinct personalities. She could only imagine what they would be like when they were older and hoped that the cousins would remain close as they continued to grow up. As Noah let out a little squeal from being tickled, Cyndi kneeled down and planted a kiss on her niece and nephew’s cheeks. She then stood up, listening to their enthusiastic responses. Noah joined in, hopping as he yelled, “Yes!” as well. It seemed that she and Kiera had made an excellent choice in deciding to bring the children to the zoo. The woman grabbed her young son’s hand before he could toddle off and placed it on the stroller. She knew that he would eventually tire and want to take a seat in it, but figured that he would probably hold out for a while. Whenever he was around bigger children, he didn’t want to sit in his stroller. The woman followed Kiera and the twins slowly and watched as her sister-in-law paid for all of their tickets. Cyndi didn’t mind much and figured that she would buy snacks for the children when they inevitably began to ask for them.

Cyndi watched her young son as he looked all around the area. He seemed enthralled already and he hadn’t even seen any animals. His toy dragon dragged along the floor and Cyndi leaned around and took the dragon from his hands and placed it in the stroller. Her son didn’t even seem to notice. As the group reached the map, Cyndi waited to hear where the children wanted to go. Of course, the twins had different ideas. Cyndi looked at Noah and asked him again. “What do you want to see first, Noah?” she asked, wondering how many animals he actually knew. "I think I know what he-" she began as the little boy seemed to think for a moment and then yelled out an answer that he knew would only please one of his cousins. “Dagons!” he said. His mother wasn’t surprised at all. The little boy seemed to be obsessed with them at the moment.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera Potter laughed at the three children's votes for which animals they wished to see. The dragons had won based on the popular vote. "Okay, dragons first, then butterflies." she told the three children. Poor Lyra, she was always outvoted by her brother and cousin. The brunette mother opened up the map she had taken from the admission counter. Her honey eyes scanned it until she found the spot on the map marked for the magical creatures that the boys wanted to see. Of course, Kiera knew Lyra would also enjoy seeing the dragons once they were in front of her. "Okay so I think that it's this way." Kiera said to Cyndi pointing the right. She handed her sister-in-law a map in case she wanted to double check. "Link, Lyra, do not wander from your aunt and me. We do not want you to get lost." Kiera told the twins sternly. Lyra usually minded her, but Link was another story. He always tried her patience and wandered away when she wasn't looking. It terrified Kiera as she knew that there were crazy people in the world. People who would like to hurt her family. Her biggest fear was that something would happen to her children.

Kiera took hold of the twins' hands for good measure and headed in the direction of the dragons. It was a short walk to the enclosure. Kiera could tell immediately that the area had been spelled to protect zoo visitors from the dragons. As soon as Link spotted the dragons, he cried out gleefully! "Look, mum! The dragons!" he said, trying to squirm from her grasp. Kiera held firmly as they got closer. Lyra had gasped and let out an "Oh" of amazement. The young mother had been right as she examined Lyra's face. The little girl was amazed by these magnificent creatures. Kiera spotted a Hungarian Horntail and moved towards it. Kiera pointed the dragon out to her children. "Do you see that dragon? Grandpa had to face one just like that one time, and he beat it." she told them with a twinkle in her eyes. She had heard her father-in-law tell the story before. "Isn't that cool, guys?" she asked them, watching their faces. "You mean he actually fought it?" Lyra asked in a hushed voice. "Yes, he did. You should ask him to tell you the story next time we see him." she said, tweaking Lyra's nose. "That's so cool." Link told his mother with awe. Kiera grinned, looking over at Cyndi. By the look on Noah's face, he was loving this display of dragons.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi shook her head lightly as the boys outvoted Lyra. She feared that it would always be that way until one of them or one of their siblings had another girl. She had the feeling that Lyra would enjoy the dragons, so she wasn’t too concerned that Lyra would feel put out about not getting her way. She was a good-natured child as well. The young mother took the map from her sister-in-law but didn’t really glance down at it. Her sense of direction wasn’t the very best, so if Kiera said that the exhibit was to the right that was where Cyndi was going to go. As Kiera readied her children for the short walk, Cyndi turned to Noah, took his hand and wrapped it around the stroller. “Stay close, Noah” she warned her son. She knew that wouldn’t work for very long as his attention span was very much that of the one year old boy that he was, but she knew it would work for a bit. For about the millionth time, Cyndi wondered just how her friend did it with twins. Her one was enough to overwhelm her sometimes. She could not imagine having two rambunctious children to keep an eye on. At least they were together today and she knew that Kiera was every bit as vigilant as she was (and probably more so) when it came to the children.

Thankfully, the walk was short and Cyndi felt more than saw when they were drawing close. She could feel the magic all around her and knew that some very serious and necessary enchantments had been placed around this part of the zoo. It was a fairly crowded area, and Cyndi stopped briefly to pick Noah up as she continued to push the stroller with one hand. As the older children spotted the dragons first, Cyndi smiled down at them and then looked at her son. “Do you see them?” she asked. The little boy didn’t even nod. He stared, transfixed at the massive creatures before them. Cyndi followed Kiera towards the Hungarian Horntail, stealing glances at her son’s baby blues that were not looking anywhere else. The woman listened as Kiera explained the significance of the dragon to her children and watched as they seemed in awe. Sometimes, she forgot that Kiera's children were actually the grandchildren of the famous Harry Potter. She put Noah down next to his cousins and reached into her diaper bag, pulling out a magical camera. “Look over here for a moment, kids” she said, waiting for them to pose before she snapped a shot, with the Hungarian Horntail waving its tail lazily behind them. The woman loved taking snapshots and she’d promised Cameron that she would anyway. “Say cheese, Kiera!” she stated before taking a quick shot of her sister-in-law. She put the camera into her back pocket and picked Noah back up so he could get a better look. Hey look, Noah. That one looks like your dragon” she pointed at a Chinese Fireball that was curled up asleep in the enclosure. She assumed it was an enclosure of some kind though she couldn’t see any physical gates or fences. She figured the magic was what kept the dragons from burning them all to a crisp. After a few moments, Cyndi looked to Kiera and mouthed “Butterfly time?”

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera wasn't surprised when Cyndi took out her camera to click a few pictures as she also had her camera with her. Maybe it was just a mother's habit of documenting her children's lives. Kiera grinned as the children all got together to pose because she could guess exactly how her children would choose to pose. Link adopted a tough guy look that was his most recent favorite way to take a picture. Lyra put her hands on her little hips and cheesed it for all that she had. The little girl loved to take pictures. Kiera shook her head as her sister-in-law turned the camera on her. She smiled, letting Cyndi take her picture. "Cheese!" Kiera said, before sticking her tongue out at her best friend. Maybe a little later they could have someone take a group picture. The twins wandered around, looking at the dragons for a few more minutes, never straying too far from their mother. Kiera nodded her head when Cyndi suggested the butterflies. "Lyra, Link, let's go. Butterfly time!" she said cheerfully. The twins came back to her, ready to move on. The look on Noah's face said he did not want to leave. Kiera gave a small chuckle, and tried to hide it by looking at the map.

Knowing where they needed to go, Kiera spoke to Cyndi, "Okay. It's not too far. Two lefts then a right." Kiera made sure that they had all three children with them before she began to lead the way. The children walked in front of her while she walked next to Cyndi, always keeping her honey colored eyes trailed on her children. "How are things at the school, Cyndi?" Kiera asked. Somedays, she missed Hogwarts and all of the fun that they had there. She had very good memories with her friends from those years, with much fewer, less pleasant memories. Kiera pointed to the building that they were coming up on. "That's it!" she said, as the twins dashed off towards it. "Wait guys! Stay in my sight!" she said shaking her head. The brunette mother sped up, making sure she didn't loose sight of Lyra or Link. The butterfly house was a large greenhouse filled with exotic flowers and thousands of butterflies that floated about the room. As Kiera entered the place, she grinned at the expressions on her children's faces. Even Link's jaw dropped at the sight of it all. "Butterflies!" squealed Lyra with joy before chasing after a small golden butterfly. "Stay close, Lyra." she said to the little girl. "It's beautiful in here." Kiera murmured to Cyndi.

 

[Professor Cyndi Kingsley]

Cyndi had known that it wouldn't be easy to get her young son to leave the dragon area. As Cyndi slipped her camera back into the diaper bag, she saw Kiera's nod and heard as she began to round up the twins. Thankfully, they had stayed relatively close. Cyndi's greatest fear about the day was that one of the children would wander off. She knew that both she and Kiera were hyper vigilant, but still she worried. "Time to go see the butterflies, Noah" the mother spoke energetically. Noah's face fell as he realized they were leaving and as they walked away from the exhibit, the little boy attempted to walk backwards. He fell on his bum, cushioned by his diaper, and Cyndi had to caution him to walk straight. Taking his hand to ensure that he did, Cyndi chuckled as the boy walked with his head turned back so he wouldn't miss a second of the dragons. Once he noticed that neither of his cousins was upset, Noah turned back to his usual, cheerful self, yapping to himself about the things he was seeing. That's what Cyndi thought he was doing anyway, since the word 'dagon' came up quite often.

"Things are going well. Gryffindor has the house cup, two years running now." The professor was quite proud of her students. "Did I ever tell you about that dreadful magazine that got started up? Well, I think the students might have graduated or transferred because we didn't have to deal with that this term." She was glad about that too. That magazine gave her such a headache. Cyndi looked over in the direction that her friend had pointed and watched as she dashed after them. Noah was either too tired to follow or he hadn't noticed them run off because he continued slowly, stopping to exam things that caught his fancy, first a bug and then a flower. Finally, they reached the greenhouse and caught up with the others. As they entered together, even Cyndi looked around in awe at the beauty around them. Noah seemed to have found a second wind and bounded off to look at an extremely large flower. "Aye. I could stay in here forever" she agreed, checking on Noah as an orange and blue butterfly settled itself on her son's head while he knelt down to smell a flower. "Lyra, Link. Look at your cousin" she called out to the twins, a laugh on her lips. The woman took her camera again, set to take another shot.

 

[Kiera Kaster]

Kiera listened to what Cyndi had to say about the school. She was interested even though the only people she knew at the school were her family members that were Professors. It felt like decades since she was in school, yet it also seemed like yesterday. She shuttered at the idea of a gossip magazine. The brunette had a feeling that if it had existed her final two years at Hogwarts that she would have been in it far more than she would have cared to be. "I'm happy for Gryffindor, really I am." she said, knowing that the disgusted look on her face would not convince Cyndi. "I just can't imagine what kind of sick person would want to make a gossip magazine that tells all. It just disappeared though? That's good. Maybe the students grew up?" Kiera said, feeling that it was unlikely that people like that would ever grow up. "Did you check to make sure that Cynthia Vandervoort has a sibling, or cousin, or something?" Kiera asked jokingly. A laugh escaped her lips. She hadn't heard from Cynthia in sometime, and for that she was very grateful.

Kiera looked over at Noah at the exact moment a butterfly landed on her nephew's head. The brunette woman chuckled at the funny sight. Cyndi called the twins attention to Noah. The brunette heads turned to look at Noah. Link grinned as a high pitched giggle escaped Lyra's lips. The young mother smiled at her children and her nephew, thinking that they were possibly the cutest children that she had ever seen. "You and I, we are lucky people. We have the best family." Kiera told Cyndi, giving her a small hug. She truly believed it too. Kiera loved her family more than anything.