England's Bloody Rose

Iolanthe Potter Chapter #14

"He's so sweet," Alice gripped Frank's hands, "and he cares for her. Our boy is just the sweetest."

"I agree," Frank smiled at his wife adoringly, "he gets it from you sweetness."

"Of course he does," his mother cuts in, "you're nowhere near that kindhearted."

"Mum," Frank whined, "let me and Alice have a moment, won't you?"

"Oh," Iola blushed, "I hadn't thought of that. Why are you here Nev?"

"I don't want you to be alone," Neville offered his hands, "you seemed down lately. So why don't we skate, just the two of us? Brother and sister."

Tears began forming in Iola's eyes, yet she accepted his hands. Together, the pair skated across the lake, a pleasant silence forming. Iola's inner Thunderbird shone, her sense of adventure activating.

"I don't like it when you're sad," Neville broke the silence, "what's going on? I won't laugh."

"You're too good to me," Iola choked out, "a failure of a champion."

"Oh my sweet niece," Amelia whispers to the screen, "you're no failure."

"A failure?" Neville asked shocked, "but Iola, you're doing great! You're three years younger than the other champions, yet you're doing just as well. How can that be considered failure?"

"Tell her that," Lydia mumbles, "comfort her for me. Make her feel good."

"It's not good enough!" Iola shouted, tears running down her cheeks as she skates quickly, "my mother would have been in first place, beating the older kids. My mother would have figured the stupid egg out right away, and would probably have 6 different plans all figured out. I'll never be able to do this."

"I hate this," Lydia's face turns angry, "I hate that my own daughter feels inadequate to me. Why? Why does Iola feel that way?"

"Every child always wishes to live up to their parents," Benjy opens up to his future lover, "and everyone sets expectations upon themselves. I, for quite some time, felt that I, just like Iola, failed my parents. They don't like that I'm a wizard. They detest magic, and hate every ounce of my being. But being in Hogwarts, making friends, showed me that they're wrong. There is nothing wrong with me or magic. I may not have done what my parents had desired for me and I may have failed them, but I didn't fail myself. And our Iola has a loving family around her. With their help, she'll realize this too. She'll learn to live with your legacy. She'll learn that you are proud of her regardless."

"Thank you," Lydia smiled at Benjy, "but I can't help but feel it's my fault. That I set an impossible standard."

"You did," Benjy agrees, "having a famous, intelligent, and powerful war hero for a mother can't be easy for anyone. But that's not your fault in the slightest. Iola will grow, everyone does."

"You would have been a great father," Lydia remarks quietly, not intending for anyone to hear but herself, yet Benjy heard anyways. It made his heart ache. He would never be able to parent his child. His little girl. His Iolanthe. He had always wanted to be a better parent than his own, but it would seem fate never gave him that chance.

"You are good enough," Neville insisted firmly, "you are Iolanthe Potter. You'll figure everything out, and you'll make a name for yourself. One day, the world will know your name for you."

"You really think so?" Lydia asks as she performs a complicated twirl.

"Of course I do," Neville stated, "in fact, in the muggle world, you're already a figure skating prodigy. You're well on your way to becoming an olympic level skater. Why should I not believe you're great? You don't need to be great at everything? In fact, I know for a fact your mother couldn't skate. Aunty Dorcas always told us we couldn't mess up more than Auntie Lydia would. Your mother was banned from multiple rinks because of her colossal failures."