𝐎𝐀𝐓𝐇 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐈𝐋𝐃𝐑𝐄𝐍 | 𝘞𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘭𝘦𝘺 𝘛𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘴

𝟎𝟏; THE LETTER*

Jace's eyes widened for a moment before looking between his sister's big brown eyes that stared intently through the white curtain window and his best friend's younger brother. Charlie nearly fell over in confusion when Jace broke out into hysterics.

"Gwen?" Jace laughed, "Have a crush on you?"

"Oi! It's possible." Charlie said in a slightly offended tone. Who wouldn't have a crush on him?

Bill said, "Why else would she be staring like that?"

Jace rolled his eyes before setting his broom in the shed, "Gwen is more likely to confess her love for a Golden Snitch than she is for either of you two. Or any boy for that matter."

"Oh." Charlie nodded, "Smart lass, that one."

Bill pulled his hair out of its hair tie and ran his fingers through his tangled red mane. Charlie had taken both of their brooms and stuck them inside the shed beside of Jace's.

"Boys!" Mrs. Desmond gelled through the open window, "Lunch!"

Gwen was already sat at the wooden table with her pancakes, drizzling syrup on them like a madman.

Jace furrowed his brows, "Mum, why does she get to have pancakes and we have to eat sandwiches?"

"You know your sister refuses to eat anything healthy until dinner time, darling." Mrs. Desmond reminded her son lightly, "Be a dear and go fetch your siblings."

"You guys can sit wherever you like." Jace reminded the Weasley boys, but they had already picked their seats.

Jace ventured up the staircase and into the bedroom that his younger siblings shared.

Jasper was attempting to do handstands against the wall while Eve was throwing wads of paper at him, always managing to hit him in the face. Jace suspected Eve was using her newfound magic ability to guide the paper directly to her target.

Jasper fell on his face one last time before rolling over to glare at Eve, "You're mean."

"You're annoying, so it evens out," Eve said.

Jace shook his head before tapping his fist on the door to gain their attention.

"What's up?" Jasper asked from his now upright position.

Jace could barely form the first syllable of lunch before Eve and Jasper barreled past him.

He shook his head, "Why do I even bother?"

By the time Jace had made it back down the stairs, Gwen was telling a heroic tale of how she fought off a spider that had confronted her before bath time. Bill looked completely invested while Charlie's eyes darted around the room for help. Jasper and Eve had taken to tossing bits of their sandwiches at each other while their mother was washing dishes. Jace briefly wondered where his father was, but soon realized that his father was more than likely dozing off upstairs while pretending to research his job.

Jace moved his head to the side to avoid being sideswiped by a flying dish from the table, due to his mother's use of magic to do anything around the house.

"Jace," Charlie leaned over once Jace had sat down, "will our letters be delivered here since this is where we're staying for the next couple of weeks?"

Jace shrugged and took a bite out of his sandwich, "I think so. Dunno, ask mum."

Charlie gave him an evil look before turning his attention back to Gwen's story that had gone way more into detail about the death of a spider than any story should go.