June 28th, 1978
My dearest Harthwood.
I have no idea how I'm supposed to sleep tonight with the anticipation of seeing you so soon. Euphoric is too light a word for how I feel about being reunited with you, my love.
After so long apart, I can barely stand the thought of leaving you again!
My heart will feel as though it is being pulled from my chest! You shall have to kiss me better!
Sirius is thrilled to see your father again. I believe he has a small crush on him! Well, when he is not head-over-heels in love with Gerrwick! She is lightening up on the threats and hexes, that's progress! I think?
Oh, and Remus will be glad to be near Alexander again! Poor Moony has been rather depressed while Lark was away in Sweden or wherever he hails from.
Peter has spent most of his time with Marcello, and it is almost vomit-inducing to listen to him be all lovey-dovey and sparkly-eyed.
Either way, I can't wait to see you, Adelaide. Tell your parents and brothers I say hello!
Until tomorrow, and forever after that, yours,
James
*******
Adelaide smiled as she read over the latest letter she had received from James.
It was nearing the end of the month, and she couldn't help but feel that June had flown by faster than she knew. Soon it would be September and the last time she could journey to Hogwarts.
Sad as that made her, the simple fact that she held a piece of paper with a certain bespectacled boy's handwriting on it calmed all of her worries.
Not only that, but James and the rest of her friends would be arriving at her home tomorrow for a week's visit.
Her brothers had spent the last few days teasing her about her boyfriend coming to stay, and her father had walked around the house pouting and complaining about stupid boys.
Her mother was over the moon when she heard James would be with them, planning vast amounts of food. The Harthwood kitchen looked ready to feed an army.
Adelaide pushed a strand of strawberry hair behind her ear and gently folded the letter from James before placing it in a small box on her desk that held the others she had received from him.
"Birdie! Mon Cheri! Breakfast!" Viomet called from the kitchen below.
Just as she was about to step out of her room, Collier poked his head around the corner of her door and flashed a cheeky grin.
"Race you down, Birdie!" He said, shoving off of the wooden doorframe and rushing toward the stairs.
Adelaide grinned and shot after him.
"No fair, Colli! You got a headstart!" She shouted, laughing as she raced down the stairs at a dangerous speed.
"You are faster! I have to take any advantage when I can get it!" Collier replied, laughing just as hard.
As the two boomed down the last few steps, Phillip and Luis watched from the dining table.
"Ah, the children have arrived!" Luis drawled in an amused tone.
"Shut it, Lulu!" Adelaide and Collier said at the same time.
Phillip snorted as he held in a chuckle, receiving a glare from his older brother, to which he replied with a shrug.
Luis rolled his eyes at the nickname he so despised. "Go get your plates, Vous êtes des idiots," He said, waving them away. "Your friends will be here soon, Birdie."
Viomet carried several more dishes of wonderful smelling breakfast tarts and spiced potatoes out from the kitchen, smiling at her children.
"Bonjour mes amours!" She said, her French accent sounding sweet as she laid the dishes of food in front of them.
"Morning, Maman!" Adelaide and Collier said together while hurriedly scooping piles of food onto their plates.
Just then, Fletcher came strolling in from the garden, covered in dirt and what looked to be the remains of a melon dripping from his nose and hair.
"Ah! I see you lot decided to wake up then? Morning, Birdie." Fletcher said, walking over to kiss his daughter on the head, despite her yelps of protest.
"Dad! You're getting me sticky! What in Merlin's name happened to you?" Adelaide huffed, trying to push him away.
Fletcher let out a deep chuckle. "Had a bit of a rumble with the garden gnome we've got in the carrot patch! Nothin' ta worry 'bout my love!" He said, his rough Scottish tone sounding so different from his wife's that Adelaide couldn't help but smile.
"Your father 'as been trying to get rid of ze little beast for ages!" Viomet laughed, coming to stand next to her husband.
"True! No matter how many times I throw the bugger over the garden wall he just scampers right back in!" Fletcher said with a huff, shaking his head and dislodging a few melon seeds and clumps of dirt, which landed directly in Collier's eggs.
"Right. Well, that's nice now, isn't it?" He grumbled, pushing the now contaminated eggs to the edge of his plate.
Phillips snickered at his brother's disgusted face.
Luis rolled his eyes again, taking a sip of his coffee.
Fletcher was about to sit when a loud bang sounded from outside, alerting everyone to the return of the infamous garden gnome.
"THAT BLASTED TOSSER!" Fletcher roared, throwing his newsboy cap back on and rushing to the door, turning to yell to his amused children. "Birdie and Collier, come and help me lob the wee beast!"
Colli groaned as he reluctantly stood from his seat and followed his now irate father.
Adelaide giggled and took one more bite of her fruit tart before doing the same as her brother.
Stepping into the sunlight and fresh morning air, Adelaide breathed in and released a deep sigh, happy to be home.
Walking through the backyard toward the stone wall that housed the garden that had become her father's retirement hobby, she spotted both of the Harthwood men glaring at the ground.
Pulling her strawberry locks into a braid, Adelaide smirked and opened the wooden gate to enter the garden.
"Where did he go?" Fletcher was grumbling, raking the ground with his glare.
"He was just here, sneaky bugger!" Colli growled, folding his arms.
As she came to stand by them, Adelaide saw the disproportionally large head and razor-sharp teeth of the gnome pop out of the bed of carrots.
"There he is!" She shouted, pointing at the troublemaker.
"Grab him!" Fletcher yelled, jumping after the creature.
Colli tried to pounce on it but ended up running into his father and landing in a heap.
"Hurry, Birdie!" Both the men shouted, trying to untangle themselves.
Adelaide rushed to grab the gnome, but the sneaky bugger dove back into the fresh dirt, causing her to trip over her brother's leg as he was trying to get up.
A yelp left her mouth as she began falling and, unable to catch herself, faceplanted in the soft earth.
"Ugh!" Adelaide hissed, spitting out dirt from her mouth.
"Hah! Nice landing, Birdie!" Colli said, letting out a deep belly laugh from where he still lay on the ground.
Fletcher smacked his son upside the head, then looked to his daughter. "Alright, las?"
"I'm fine, just dirty now!" Adelaide muttered, brushing off the front of her shirt.
As she was doing this, the gnome popped up at her feet, glaring at her with his beady black eyes.
"Ah!" Adelaide shouted, leaping after the creature before he could get away again.
Her hands latched onto the leathery skin of the gnome's arm, and she yanked quickly, pulling the little troublemaker out of the ground.
Fletcher and Collier cheered as she lifted the creature to start spinning him, but of course, the garden gnome was not happy about it's capture and bit her hand, causing the girl to yelp and let out a string of loud curses.
"Dammit, all!" Adelaide shouted, spinning the mean gnome a dozen times in the air before releasing her hold and sending it flying over the stone wall of the garden.
"Bloody great shot, Birdie!" Colli laughed, brushing himself off.
"Alright, Harthwood!" A familiar voice shouted from near the house, causing the three to turn.
Sirius Black stood laughing his head off next to an awe-struck James Potter.
They had just witnessed her launching the gnome, and James could safely say that he had fallen a bit more in love with her after watching that spectacle.
"Fuck me!" He whispered, his face blushing red.