All in the Family

Chapter 72: The Unforgivable Curses

To Guest: Thanks so much for the review! I too would never laugh at an animal being bounced around for any reason, even knowing it was a transfigured student, I'm just not wired to ever see an animal and not want to help so I totally get your reaction.

"Mum's going to kill me," Frank sighed at the newest bout of trouble their landing had caused, in his own home this time. He had no idea what the implications of that for Harry Potter's story was, possibly the lad and Neville would be spending time together? That seemed to be the theme. Regardless, he'd rather read of that than imagine the scolding his mother was going to provide as he helped Alice pull herself free from the precious potted plants. The rest of their home faired no better.

It was a grand three story in a weathered Victorian design, with pastel shingles along the outside not even faded to time he could hear someone outside shambling around on, a sunroom Lily was blinking painfully inside of, and an attic with a portal window of an excellent view of their entire massive lakefront property he could clearly hear someone going through from the living room.

Reddish-brown dirt now littered the beige carpet, the bright afternoon sun shining in that almost looked like blood he quickly magiced back into place of the carefully designed pot, lest inner spells spill water on the floor next at their due time. The furniture had not been spared, his mother's favorite sofa now had a missing leg from his landing on it he was also quick to repair, but the spell wasn't good enough to hide the blue upholstery had recently been tampered with.

He could see the kitchen beyond, bathed in more natural light with Sirius Black prowling about in his now usual moody way. Frank winced as he carelessly pushed the chair aside his Uncle Algie always sat at and made his way to the back door to the lake beyond. Frank could see the exact counter space he'd landed on, and the ceramic bowl he'd shattered and had yet to fix.

"Hey, it's alright love," Alice placed her hand calmly on his shoulder as he winced for the abundance of noise for the others making their way through his house. "I'm sure whatever destruction we're causing is getting fixed when we're zapped back away."

"We've yet to have proof of that," he snapped, "and somehow, my mum's going to know it was me who did this regardless."

She removed her hand and stepped back, and he winced harder as he heard his own sharp tone well after the fact. "Sorry love," he apologized at once, offering his hand out and relieved she took it immediately.

"I can understand his nerves!" The older Black shouted from the kitchen, clearly no shame in eavesdropping. "Last two times we ended up at someone's home, it didn't end well for them!"

Frank went paler, and Alice shot him a nasty look. Those were his supposed friends he was so callously speaking of, but he didn't seem to think twice of it as he pounded restlessly, and uselessly they all knew by now, on the back door to be free as the others made their way down the staircase.

The long, narrow walkway allowed them to only come down one at a time, so he clearly saw none of them yet had the book. Quick to zip past them and see the damage they'd done, he also didn't want to admit aloud how he was also making a run from Sirius Black's words before anyone could see.

Alice began to follow, and he had half a mind to tell her otherwise, until he groaned in pain to see what they'd done and the thought of her comfort was almost all that sustained him.

Several of the photos lining the wall had been knocked down, their portraits shaking their head disapprovingly and joining the others still on the wall. Aunt Enid's glasses were a sparkling, twisted mess in the middle of the hallway, though whether she'd done that or someone mistakenly had was a fair debate.