bruises - james potter

ninety

The smallest hint of amusement flashed through McGonagalls eyes, but it was gone so quickly that Cassie would have thought she was just imagining things if it wasn't for the professors tone and face softening moments later.

"You all have detention with Hagrid every Friday night for a month."

All six students looked rather content with that response, the smallest hints of smiles making their way onto each individual face.

"And 10 points will be taken from both Gryffindor and Slytherin."

That was deserved, Cassie wasn't going to lie.

They all stood in McGonagalls office for a moment longer, before she shooed them away, letting a laugh once she knew they were all away from ear shot.

"That could have gone worse." Cassie admitted, grabbing one end of a mattress while James did the same with the other.

Lily and Marlene grabbed their mattress and Alice and Sirius grabbed theirs.

"I'm never listening to you again Cassiopeia Black." Lily stated, her face held a look of relief.

･・･☽✥☾･・･

The Potter Cottage had always been quieter when James and Sirius went back to school, leaving the house with a slight feeling of emptiness for days afterwards.

This time, Regulus and Cassie had also gone back to Hogwarts, making the Potter Cottage feel more empty than it ever had before.

There was something about the Black children that meant they could make anyone love them within moments of meeting them, wether that was because of their charm of humour Euphemia and Fleamont just couldn't tell.

But they had come to adore the two children that they had welcomed into their family in the short time that they were there. 

Euphemia was sitting in the kitchen, her fingers rubbing the mixture of butter and flour in the bowl in front of her as she tried to create a breadcrumb like substance from them.

There was an open pie dish on the side next to her, cherry's coated in a syrup in the dish, attracting a few bees to the window that was opened just a little.

The sun was shining down on the Cottage, warming up the areas that hid in the shadows and making areas in the sun warmer than usual.

Fleamont sat at the table behind his wife, his glasses perched on the edge of his nose and his hand tapping the table as he leant over the crossword that was found in a muggle newspaper.

The Cottage was peaceful, the birds chirping away as they played in a birdbath that Euphemia had set up years before, the cows in the field next to them were mooing loudly as they lay lazily in the green grass.

The tapping of talons on glass startled both of the Potters, Euphemia nearly split her mixture everywhere and Fleamont dotted an i rather violently.

They both looked over to the window above the sink to see one of Hogwarts owls resting on the windowsill.

Euphemia wiped her hands on her apron as she walked over to the window and opened it, the owl raised one of its legs to show a letter attached to it. The woman's eyebrows furrowed as she took the note from the owl, who flew away before she could get it a treat.

"What is it dear?" Fleamont asked from the table as Euphemia looked at the letter and turned it over.

"It's a letter, from Hogwarts." She said, "But it's not from Professor McGonagall, the writing is different."