Princes in Exile

Lunch only took a few minutes to get ready, now that Mina was using her magic more. The girls watched in wide-eyed awe as five knives smeared peanut butter on five pieces of bread, then continued on to the jelly, while a pot of water boiled for the macaroni and cheese.

“Wow. That is so cool!” Emily watched her mother wave her wand grandly, setting the table with one swift motion. “Can I try it?”

“No. You’re too young, love.” Toby lifted the eight year old into his arms and swung her before sitting her down in her regular chair at the table.

“Nuh-uh! If Jenna can do it, so can I!”

“Not in the Wizard world. Help your sister with her cup, Em.” Mina ‘leviosa-ed’ the children’s plates to the table, and then started mixing the macaroni. She squealed when Toby came up behind her and pinched her bottom. He leaned down to kiss her quickly before moving to her side and washing his hands in the sink. He grabbed the bowl from her and hurried her to the table where she sat between the twins. She smiled her thanks when he served the girls before sitting down at the head of the table.

“But I know I can do it.”

“I’ve no doubt that when you turn eleven, you will be fully able to perform magic. Until then, you watch your sister.” Toby filled her juice glass and with lightning fast reflexes caught the fork Milana dropped from her plate.


“T’ank you.”

“You’re welcome. How were you all for your mum?”

“Good,” Marika wiped her mouth with her sleeve. Ah, well, another battle, another time. It wasn’t worth the energy to rectify her actions right now.

“Mummy?”

“Everyone did well today, Toby.” Mina took a small bite of her sandwich. He sighed when he saw the sadness in her eyes. Jenna was frowning at her mother, not in anger but consternation and he knew then that one of them had brought up either Hogwarts or their other issue.

“I believe that since all my little princesses have been good today, we might go out for dinner tonight. And yes, we may go to that grease trap the lot of you likes.”

“Pizza!” Five voices chorused in excitement. Mina smiled at her daughters’ exuberance, but still only ate a little bit at a time. He’d have to take her aside after lunch during the younger girls’ nap and tell her about his and Jenna’s discussion in the work shed.

“Toby, I have veal thawing.”

“It will hold another night, love.” He reached over and stroked her cheek with the back of his knuckles. She smiled at him and nodded. “See? Easily fixed. After lunch, why don’t you take the twins and Serenity for a nap? You didn’t sleep well, love. I’ll take Emily and Jennifer to Miss Marcus’s. She’ll like seeing the girls, and I have some letters to send out.”

“Minerva?”

“And Gringott’s. We’ll need to access our accounts if we’re going to visit the school for Jenna.”

“What’s Gringott’s?” Emily grimaced down at her macaroni. Now that pizza was in the near future, she didn’t want the noodles.

“It’s a bank, for witches and wizards. They don’t use the same money, and it’s run by goblins.”

“Like in fairy tales?”

“You accepted the fact that you’re a witch, but you can’t believe the bank is owned by goblins?”

Emily glared at her father and his amused tone. The look was too much like Toby’s and it made Mina laugh a little. The sound heartened her husband, happy to hear her enjoy something after the trying two days they’d had.

“I didn’t say I didn’t believe, I was just questioning it.” Emily sneered back at him. Now, those two were too much alike.

“Don’t. The goblins run the bank. House-elves keep Wizarding houses, Centaurs live in the Forbidden Forest, and Merpeople live in most lakes of the world.” All five of his daughters looked at him with wonder in their eyes. Maybe telling them about their heritage wasn’t such a bad idea; they seemed to like learning all these new aspects of their parents’ lives.

“Why do you have to mail letters from Miss Marcus’ house?”

“I’m using her owls. Miss Marcus is a Squib your mother and I met when we first moved here. We’ve kept some ear on the Wizarding world’s doings; we just didn’t want to live in it any longer.”

“What’s a Squib?”

“It’s someone who was born to magical parents but aren’t magical themselves,” Mina answered while wiping Milana’s runny nose. “Miss Marcus’s mother and father set her up a long time ago so she could be a go-between for the two communities.”

“Wow.”

“Can we go then, Mom?”

Mina looked at the twins, eating between yawns while Serenity had finished and was sitting at the table blinking her eyes. She smiled at her two oldest and nodded her head.
“Serenity, take your plate to the sink and go to your bed, sweetie. We’ll come upstairs in a little while.” The small silent girl stood and did as she was told, giving her father a kiss on the cheek as she passed. “You two can go, but don’t bother Miss Marcus now that you know the truth.”

“We won’t, Mom.” Emily finished her lunch quickly and cleared her space before jumping up and running to get her sneakers and baseball cap for the trip. Jenna followed her sister up to their bedroom, leaving Mina with Toby and the twins who were no longer interested in their food. They cleared the twins and wordlessly working in tandem, each carried a child up the stairs to the room they shared with Serenity.

Their middle daughter was already asleep, curled up on her right side with her thumb and forefinger in her mouth, sucking lightly. Both Marika and Milana were almost asleep with their heads heavy on their parent’s shoulder. After tucking them in, Toby guided his wife to their bedroom and gently pushed her down to their bed, pulling off her shoes.

“Get some rest, Mina. Everything will work out, I promise. We’ll be back in a couple of hours. I love you.” He leaned down and kissed her forehead then gave her a deep kiss before pulling away.

“I know. I love you too. Be careful, and don’t let Emily get into anything.”

“I won’t. sleep.”

Mina stuck her tongue out at him, but the effect was lost as a yawn cut into the sassy response.

Toby left her there and went down to the kitchen, leaving the house through the backdoor into the garage. The girls were already seated in his one splurge, his Mustang convertible which he’d always wanted as a teenager and knowing it was impossible in England. Five years before he’d bought it, while their family vehicle was the mini-van parked next to it. The girls were already buckled and ready, excited about riding with the top down, even if the trip was only a fifteen minute drive.

Toby snorted ruefully as he turned the ignition key, wondering what any of his old compatriots would say if they could see the feared Potions master and former Death Eater ferrying his daughters around in a Muggle vehicle.

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Hey all, don't forget to leave a review. I'm on a diet and this is the only form of sustenance i'm allowed!!! yeah writing about food when you're dieting is stupid... aww well, I'll survive


thanks

Marti