Winter holidays in France

[Kyle Cavanaugh]

It was the day when the students of Hogwarts New Zealand were to leave the castle for the holidays. Kyle was looking forward to getting some fun time away from school. He did enjoy studying, Qudditch and delicious food that the Houselves at Hogwarts prepared but some freedom was always good for the young Gryffindor. This holiday he was going to get more freedom than he had expected because his father would not be seeing him at all. His parents had informed him that they needed to go to Canada as Kyle's maternal grandfather was sick. He knew his mother would be worried sick and would want to be there for her family and his father would be there to make sure in case the old man died all the remaining property went to the Cavanaughs and not any of his mother's other siblings. Kyle had been told to go to France and stay with his aunt Genna or perhaps enjoy the company of his close friend, Rose Bellard or both. For the past six months school work had kept both Kyle and Rose so busy they had hardly got time to chat. Kyle was glad that Rose had agreed to having him at his place for a few days so he could meet her family. Rose had met Kyle's family and they had all liked the sweet French girl. Kyle hoped Rose's father would be okay that he was dropping in without a proper invitation. He was excited and nervous because Rose did not talk much about her father. Kyle was mainly glad that he would get to spend his holidays with Rose and he could make up for his absence during school time.

After the ride from Hogwarts to central New Zealand, Kyle and Rose had taken a portkey to Paris where Genna had informed them that she would be waiting. As they landed in a wizarding cafe in Paris, the taste of sweet coffee and freshly baked yummies rushed into Kyle's nostrils and he smiled suddenly feeling hungry for French cakes and brownies.The memory of the time when Kyle had first been taught how to bake brownies by Rose filled Kyle's mind. "It's going to be so much fun" Kyle said to Rose with a huge grin. They were going to go to Nantes, Rose's hometown .The plan was that after spending most of the holiday at Rose's place they would come back to Paris do some shopping and sightseeing before going back to school for the second term. Kyle glanced out of the window and the snowflakes caught his eyes. Of course it was winter in the Northern Hemisphere! It was about Christmas time and the cafe was fully decorated with mistletoe, gifts and Christmas trees. Kyle was fully prepared for the winter outside as he was dressed in a stylish maroon coat. His checked red and grey shirt and black trousers were visible underneath the warm coat and these would be more than sufficient to keep him warm during their journey. He looked around the cafe to see a few curious French witches and wizards looking at their pair. Kyle's eyes sought his aunt and soon the familiar face of Genna was in front of him. "Ow..you came. We would have survived a few hours without a guardian. I'm sure Rose will agree that we can have more fun without you" Kyle said teasing his aunt but his face did break into a grin and he gave his aunt a hug.

 

[Rose Bellard]

Rose twiddled her thumbs as she sat on her bed. She was extremely nervous. Her bags were packed and stacked by her feet but she couldn't move. Apparently her father was doing very well and he wanted to meet her. Rose had never been this terrified. She wasnt sure what terrified her more, the fact she was going to meet her father or the fact Kyle was coming along. It was only fair that he come and stay at her home. After all he had welcomed her with open arms to his own home. But Rose was very private about her Papa,. She had told no on about her Papa. It was a very touchy subject and the fact that she had let Kyle come to hr home showed how much she trusted him as a friend. But she had a feeling she was starting to regret her decision. What happened if her Papa started screaming at her again and blaming her for her Mama's death? How could she ever face Kyle again. She would much prefer to just spend the holidays with him, going around France like they had done in London. But there was no going back now. She was going to meet her Papa for the first time in a long time and Kyle was going to be with her. It was something she had never pictured herself doing. She didn't know what was going to happen. She didn't know what to expect. Rose liked being in control of things and of situations. She was totally out of her comfort zone now. She stood up, she was biting her lip and her eyes were wide. She had butterflies which were flying widely around her stomach. She was walking back and forwards across the room. The worst case scenarios were playing around in her head making her more nervous. "Stop Rose"She shouted at herself. Finally her frantic walking stopped and she stood in the room. Helping herself calm her racing thoughts. She looked at her watch. She quickled went over to bring her carry on bag and made her way down to the Great Hall.

After the journey back to central new Zealand, she and Kyle then took the portkey to France. The whole way she tried her best to smile and act as excited as Kyle for his sake. It was something she was usually good at but she had never been in this sort of situation before. She thought she did pretty well. Rose smiled weakly at Kyle "I know, I can't wait"She said. She was glad she remembered the temperature change of the different hemisphere. She was wearing clothes perfectly suited. Rose looked around to try and find Kyle's aunt. Rose had met her during the holidays and Rose really liked her. Meeting Kyle's family had been an experience to say the least. So much money in one family. Thankfully Kyle didn't act like a snob or anything. He was quite unassuming really. Rose smiled when Genna appeared in front of them. "Hello Genna"She said, her heart secretly sinking. The inevitable was looming closer. She started worrying again. Her fingers started twitching and she couldn't stand still.

 

[Genevieve Rosewood]

Genevieve sat at a table in the corner sipping her coffee. She was in good spirits today and she owed it to her nephew whom she was expecting in a a minute. Meeting Kyle was always a source of happiness for Genna because he was the only member of her family who made her feel wanted. And he was always so excited and energetic that he made her feel childish and giddy. Genna smiled at the memory of Kyle and Dietrich pulling that prank on Patrick last summer. And she was also looking forward to meeting his friend Rose again who had seemed like a lovely girl last time but Genna hadn't gotten around to getting to know her much.

When Patrick had owled her a few weeks ago about Kyle coming to France for Christmas, Genna had been absolutely delighted but also surprised because she knew that it wouldn't have been easy to convince Camilla to leave Kyle in her custody even for an hour. But then she had come to understand that the two were going to stay at Rose's place so she hadn't been given full custody anyhow. However she couldn't wait to see them and spend time with them and hoped that Rose's family wouldn't mind her coming along when they took Kyle to tour Paris. She didn't know anything about her family because in France she hardly associated with the wizarding community but she was sure that they would be charming like most French people.

Genna checked her watch again and realized that it had been thirty seconds past their time of arrival. She gasped in surprise and stood up from the table. The portkey had been set in a corner of the cafe where all the portkeys were usually placed. This cafe was famous because of their portkey service where they set up portkeys for witches and wizards travelling to and from different parts of the world. She spotted Kyle and Rose and rushed forward to greet them."Of course I came Kyle! I couldn't leave you two alone for a second or you know what your mother would do to me. And knowing you as well as I do, it would take you less than a few minutes for you to get yourself into trouble." she said winking at him and smiling. "Hello dear, I hope travelling by portkey wasn't very uncomfortable." she asked her in a conversational tone as she started to make her way through the tables and beckoned them to follow. She held the door of the cafe open for them and then followed them out side.

"Now I am going to take you to your house by side-along apparation but it's going to be completely and totally uncomfortable. Just try not to get sick when we get there." she said in a worried tone. Even after many years of practice, Genna still found apparation completely uncomfortable and she knew that these young people would hate it a thousand times more than she did. But for now it was the only means of travel as the cafe's fireplace wasnt connected to the floo network. She held her wand in her left hand and asked them to grab hold of her arm tightly. "Here we go guys." and with a crack! they vanished into a suffocating darkness only to appear a second later on the door step of Rose's house.

 

[Kyle Cavanaugh]

Kyle knew Genna well and teasing was something he knew she would not mind. Sometimes Kyle wished Genna could be younger then they would have so much fun. Even if technically she was his aunt she was more closer to him than his cousins in France. Kyle laughed as he heard Genna's honest reply. His mother would be very angry with Genna and sometimes Kyle thought she was just finding a reason to fight with her younger sister. Kyle could honestly not understand while her mother's family was not behaving well with her aunt. His uncle Dietrich had told him that it was because she was working as a muggle fashion model. The young Gryffindor thought there was nothing wrong with that."You're right. I can't believe mom let me stay with you in the first place. I thought I would be staying at Uncle Jerome's place" Kyle said thoughtfully. His Uncle lived in France too and so did Romiah, Kyle's cousin. Kyle knew that his parents must have instructed Genna to take him to Jerome's place sometime during his stay in France. "Maybe my father likes you more than his brother" Kyle said as he got hold of his luggage and passed Rose her's. Most of the trunk and other stuff had feather light spell on them so they would be easier to carry.

Kyle knew that Rose's family would probably have some delicious food prepared for them but as a child he still craved for sweet baked items so he convinced his aunt to allow them to take some cake and brownies to go. He bought enough so Rose's family could enjoy it with them as well and after all his mother had taught him manners and one never went to someone's place without something nice to offer. Stepping out of the wizarding cafe, Kyle found himself in a street in a wizarding neighborhood. "Portkey was not fun. I wish we had just used floo network" Kyle said upon hearing her aunt ask about how they felt. It had not been Kyle's first time with a portkey but all the same nauseating feeling and that of being sucked came as usual. "Do you know the place?" he asked his aunt and then looked at Rose. He wondered if Rose had explained Genna where she lived while he was buying the cakes and brownies. Then Kyle grabbed his aunt's wrist and felt his feet leave the street and after a minute of feeling squished and nausea he found his feet touch the ground again. "Uh.." he said as he felt the taste of bile mixed with food rise through his esophagus and he threw up in a near by bush.

 

[Rose Bellard]

Rose really wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not. She had no idea what was going to happen. Rose was usually confident, always looked at the positive side of a situation because hr life hadn't exactly been filled with positives she tried to focus on the few that came into her life. But her Papa rendered her completely helpless. She lost all her cool, all her confidence. He was the only person who could do it to her. All she had ever wanted was some sort of affection shown to her , she had found herself trying to please him. Trying to win his attention or gain attention. When it came to him she was self-conscience about everything. She felt so weak and not herself. It was when she was at her weakest. She didn't want anyone to see her like that but she could hardly say no to Kyle and he had seemed so excited. Now his aunt Genna was here also. Rose didn't know what to do. She liked Genna, she had seemed lovely at the party. There seemed to have been something going on behind the facade of the perfect family. Most of his family were nice though Rose had definitely sensed something up within the family. Rose hadn't pried though.

Rose didn't know what Lucie had in store for them. She didn't know what the situation would be like in her house. She hadn't been in home in over a year, she hadn't seen her Papa in several. She hadn't mentioned this to Kyle. She didn't want to. They walked out of the cafe and Rose was glad of her scarf. It was very pretty outside with the snow covering the place. In normal circumstances Rose would br drawing the scene. Lately she had been too worried to draw or play the piano which is a very bad sign. Very bad. Rose hadn't minded the Portkey, it had been weird sensation but she hadn't minded it at all. "Lucie, explained all"Rose answering Kyle's question. Rose wasn't sure if it was just Lucie who wanted Rose to meet her Papa or was it genuinely wanted to see her. Well she would soon find out. She took Genna's hand and suddenly she had the feeling she was being squished. It was one of the weirdest and horrible sensations ever. Rose felt the contents of her stomach to start coming back up her throat but she managed to keep it down. Gagging. Her head was pounding. "God"She muttered, trying to stop the world from spinning. She saw Kyle get sick into a bush. "How you doing?"She called out weakly, her legs shaky. She looked u p and saw her house . The garden looked lovely, it was all covered in snow and it looked so cute and cosy. She could see smoke coming out of the chimney.She could feel herself warm slightly to the sight of her home. She had missed it "Here goes nothing"She muttered. "Come on guys"She said leading the two to her home. Trying to calm her racing heart. This was going to be life changing.

 

[Lucie Andre]

Lucie had just finished getting dressed. She was so excited. She would be seeing Rose today. She hadn't seen her in over a year and she missed her terribly. Rose was like her daughter. Lucie had taken care of her since she was a baby. Brought her up. Lucie had spent her life trying to nurse Jaques back to health. She saw how much it hurt Rose, when she was rejected by Jaques. Since Rose had been gone for the year, Jaques had been improving greatly. It was unfortunate that the only thing stopping her from getting better all these years was his daughter. A girl who craved love and affection from her Papa. It was a heartbreaking which was why Lucie was so excited about today. Jaques had actually asked her could he meet his daughter. He had never spoken that sentence to her before. Never once had he uttered Rose's name. She was the unspeakable subject, as was Marie. He was moving forward though and improving each day. She was delighted that he was taking another step. If things went well today, life would just improve so much. She didn't know know why it had affected him so much. Lucie herself had lost her best friend. The woman who she had been friends with since she was three. Her closest confidante. Lucie had watched her best friend fall in love, and then become so excited because she was pregnant. Marie had been so excited. Lucie shook her head. No point dwelling on the past!

She was looking forward to seeing Rose and her new friend Kyle. She had been told all about him in Rose's letters. Kyle's aunt was also coming along. Lucie was excited to see them all. She had prepared a buffet of cold foods. Something small for the gathering. She knew this was going to b something big for Rose. She hadn't seen her father in years. It would be an interesting evening to say the least. Lucie had just finished putting everything onto the table when she heard the door open hesitantly. Lucie quickly dropped what was in her hands "Jaques, they're here"She said before running over to the door "Rose"She exclaimed, hugging her surrogate daughter tightly. She had missed her so much. Lucie hugged her for a long time. She let go over her and looked down at her little girl. She had grown up so much, she was turning into a young woman "Ive missed you so much"She said giving her one more hug before looking at her guests. "Welcome!"She said smiling warmly at Kyle and Genna. "It's so nice to meet you, I'm Lucie"She said putting out her hand.

 

[Kyle Cavanaugh]

It took Kyle a few seconds to right himself. "Fine" he said groggily as he walked up to the house trying to ignore the foul taste in his mouth. Kyle tried to recall who Lucie was. He remembered Rose mentioning her a few times. He was confused between maternal aunt and friend. He tried to hide the frown on his face and brought it to expressionless. The last thing Kyle wanted was Rose's family to dislike him and so he after a deep breath he smiled as he heard the door open. Kyle kept the smile on his face as he watched Lucie hug and greet Rose. They seemed very close, almost like mother daughter. "Hello Lucie, I am Kyle" he said, switching to French and shaking the hand of the woman. He knew that as he was the only boy on the doorstep it was obvious that he was Kyle but introductions were necessary and Kyle wanted things to be just right. Kyle second language was French and he was glad that he was fluent in it. He knew Genna, Rose and her family would be talking in rapid French and he would have hated to cause them to switch to English for his sake.

"Its so good to finally meet you. Rose talks so much about you" he said, his smile now turning to a genuine one. After Lucie welcomed them in Kyle looked around at the living room. It was perfect. It was way smaller than the living room at his family manor but Kyle was never a fan of anything big or expensive. This, right here was cozy and brought a warm feeling. He wondered why Rose was thinking about living in London, far from this wonderful home.

 

[Genevieve Rosewood]

The house before them was a pretty French cottage, and had a lovely garden but the snow had covered it for the season. She took in her surroundings and then noticed Kyle throwing up behind a bush."Oh no! I always knew Apparation wasn't a very good idea." she said out loud cursing herself. But at least Rose seemed to have stopped whatever unpleasant reaction that would have come out of her. "I'll clean that up." she said feeling responsible for her nephew getting sick in someone's garden. She performed the spell without a word and then hearing the door open she turned to face the lady who Kyle had told her about. She wasn't entirely sure how the lady was related to Rose but she knew that she wasn't a step mother.Perhaps she was a friend of her late mother, thought Genna as she shook Lucie's hand and smiled at her. "I'm Genna." she introduced herself. Lucie seemed like a nice person and she looked around her age. Genna wondered if she could actually make a friend out of a witch for once and Lucie's outfit did encourage Genna to like her Genna didn't have a single friend who was a witch or a wizard in France.But she stepped over the threshold of the house and actually felt welcome for a change.

 

[Jaques Bellard]

Jaques was in his room. He had dressed smart casual for this occasion. Needless to say he was extremely nervous. This was the first time he would see his daughter. Properly that is. He had seen his daughter plenty of times, only photos though. Or maybe fleetingly. He had been sick for a long time, a long long time and he wanted to fix things between himself and his daughter. She was his only child and he can't imagine the pain he must be have caused her.But he couldn't get back the past couple of years, what was done was done. He just hoped he was ready for this meeting. He had just hoped he had the strength to face his little daughter. His daughter who probably hated him. He was going to try and fix that. He had been seeing a therapist and though it was horrible to say, not listening to Rose playing the piano or knowing she was in the building had helped a great deal. He thought he was strong enough to be able to handle seeing his little girl who reminded him so much of.. Marie. <br /><br />He heard Lucie say they had arrived and his breathing quickened immediately. He closed his eyes and took deep breaths. He had to appear calm. He walked out of his room. Fixed his shirt and made his way to the kitchen. A young woman was entering the house, a young boy was there also. Then there was his little girl, maybe not so little anymore. Jaques just started open mouthed at the girl standing in the room. He barely recognized his daughter. She was so beautiful and not a little girl anymore.She was turning into a young woman. It pained him to see how alike she was to Marie. But she was her own person, he could see that now. "Rose"He said, his voice barely above a whisper. He didn't know what to do, would she hug him? What would she want? He didn't know, so he stood there, waiting.

 

[Rose Bellard]

Rose walked into the house and immediately she enveloped in a hug and she smiled, putting her arms around Lucie. She had missed her so much and it was so nice to feel her arms around her. It was so familiar and comforting and Rose found herself hugging Lucie for a long time. The woman had been her mother. Rose still loved and missed her real mother but Lucie had been there for her for whole life. She didn't know what she would have done without her. "I've missed you too"She said looking up at her. It was so nice to see her again. She already felt better but the underlying fact of why she was still here still hung like a black cloud over her head. She stood beside Lucie as Kyle and Genna introduced themselves, Rose should have really done it but she was nervous. She followed Lucie as she brought them into the kitchen. Rose's heart was beating fast in her chest. She wondered where he was, when would she see him. Would he shy away and go back to his old ways again.

Time seemed to slow as she walked into the kitchen. She had her head down, afraid to look. They stopped and after a few minutes of silence she heard her name being whispered. She looked up slowly and there he was. Her Papa, looking better then she had seen him in all her life. He looked shocked, a bit sad but she saw none of the hatred or sadness she had been greeted with the few times she had ever looked him in the face "Papa"She whispered, she wasn't sure what to do or say. He didn't know either. Rose had been hurt by this man, her Papa for so many years. But she was willing to forgive him because he hadn't been in the right mind and she really wanted things to change and be good for once. So before she could stop herself she ran over and hugged him. Hugged him tight. Tears threatened to fall. How she had long to hug her Papa for so many years and here she was. It was the best feeling in the world.

 

[Kyle Cavanaugh]

Kyle chew on a mint that Genna offered. It help his mouth get rid of the stink. The last thing that he wanted in the Bellard household was himself with a vomit breath. He could not help but smile as he watched Rose hug Lucie. She had heard about Lucie before but Kyle was more eager to meet Mr. Bellard. Rose hardly talked about him. For this reason when Kyle finally entered the kitchen and saw Mr. Bellard who seemed happy and sad, at the same time to see his daughter and Kyle thought like she had her expressions mirroring her father's, Kyle could not help but wonder what was going on between the father daughter-pair. However when Rose went forward and hugged her father, Kyle's suspicion was gone and was replaced with a little envy. He had longed to have such a relationship with his own father but it was never going to happen. Kyle smiled because Rose was smiling and he had never seen her so happy. He did not want to interrupt them so he just stood rooted at his spot and watched his close friend be happy. She deserved to get such small happy moments. It was all a girl without a mother could hope for. Kyle could not imagine not having his mother. It would be tragic and terrible and his father would swallow him alive. His mother was his shield, she protected him and loved him. Kyle could only hope that Mr. Bellard was able to fulfill that role for both himself and his wife.

After the hug was over, Kyle knew he could not just stand there because it was rude so he walked up to Mr. Bellard and Rose and smiled at the man. He could see all the similarities in Mr.Bellard's and Rose's face. "Good morning, sir. I'm Kyle" said the young Gryffindor extending his hand for Rose's father to shake. Rose was sweet and Kyle hoped her father was the same because Kyle had not even asked Mr.Bellard's permission or anything before he had come to visit. "I hope you don't mind having my aunt and me here for the holiday" he added and looked at Genna. If there was a problem he was sure Genna would be able to let him stay at her place in Paris or maybe they could find a hotel here.

 

[Lucie Andre]

Lucie had always considered Rose to be her own child. She had looked after her since she was a baby. She had moved into the house soon after she realized Jaques was not going to get better. She had tried to fill Rose's world up with as much love as she could, but she always knew that the fact Jaques had always refused to see his own daughter, had hurt Rose in so many ways, never mind confuse the poor girl who probably wondered what she had done wrong. She did have to admit, Rose was the spitting image of Marie. She sometimes found herself looking at Rose and thinking of Marie. Her best friend never left her mind but she had learned to let go and give Rose the love her mother would have wanted her to have. She really hoped this meeting turned out well and things just got better. She had missed Rose terribly, she hadn't seen her in a year. When she hugged Rose, when she saw her it was just amazing. She loved Rose with all her heart though she did wonder how she was going to take the news, they would keep that for the end though.

Lucie could see Rose was nervous, the girl wore her feelings on her sleeve. "It will be okay ma fleur"She said encouragingly. She then looked up to see Rose's two guests once more. She was impressed when Kyle spoke in French "It's nice to meet you Kyle"She said shaking the boys hand, giving him a warm smile. She was glad Rose had made a good friend. Lucie laughed "That's good to hear"She said, turning to Genna as Kyle walked inside. "Lovely to meet you Genna"She said shaking her hand. "After you"She said gesturing inside,a warm smile on her face.

When they entered the house, she held her breath as she saw Rose and Jaques look at each other. "Come on"She whispered, praying that things would end up alright. She almost squealed like a little girl when she saw the two of them hug "Yes"She shouted out, before running over and enveloping the two in a giant hug. She gave both of them a kiss on both cheeks. She was so happy, practically jumping up with joy. Then realizing they had guessed, she quickly stopped and her polite, calm composure was turned back on "Sorry about that, I've been waiting a long time for this day"She said smiling at the two. She realized Kyle had said something "Mon dieu I'm so sorry my dear, just got caught up in the moment, why doesn't everyone finish introductions here while I check on the lunch"She said, smiling at every going over to the fridge and taking out a bottle of elderflower.