Leon was surprised when he had heard Miranda was working at Hogwarts as the Head Healer. He knew she had desires to move up the chain, ambitious as ever. He wasn’t sure how Hogwarts was, but he assumed it was a step above where she’d been, if it was ‘Head Healer.’ Even though their family was very close and they both had children… Leon couldn’t really picture Miranda dealing with students very well. Maybe he was biased, recalling their childhood. Though he was older when she came along, he remembered her fierce ‘determination’ to show how she could keep up with the boys.

She was too competitive for her own good. And with being the Head Healer, she really wouldn’t have anyone to compete with… Leon wondered how long that would last. She was always difficult, and though he loved her very much, she would get more grumpy the less active competition she had. Maybe she’d move onto something else to seek an ‘I’m better than you’ attitude over. Maybe she would pick up knitting… That thought made him smirk. He’d have to mention it to her.

Nonetheless, he was taking a break from the speeches and festivities of the first day of the Remembering celebration to go and see her. He had a question to ask her anyway, and it had been bothering him for quite a while. Since she was really the only female he knew well enough, besides his wife, to ask, and less likely to hold it over his head (like his brothers would) later, he thought he would at least ask her opinion.

With that, of course, he realized that she would give her opinion and then some. But it came with the territory. Seek help from one of his family members, expect a lot more than you wanted. No matter, though. He had enough on his mind to keep most of her nagging comments blocked. Pulling his robes around him a bit more, he grumbled slightly, knocking on the door he’d been told to go to. They were meeting for coffee, as far as he knew.

She had no doubt heard about James as well. Clasping his hands tightly behind his back, he frowned at the wood grains of the door. His youngest son was quite a handful. It wasn’t as if Leon had slacked on his parenting while bringing his boys up… they were just different people. Even though he realized that, he still couldn’t condone what his boy had done. Thomas was responsible, as was James’ twin, Gregory! And though they had done silly things growing up, they had grown out of it.

They didn’t teach you how to handle being a parent, though. That was a trial and error sort of deal. Glancing around, he put his back to the door after knocking again. Where was that woman? She was never where you wanted her to be. Crossing his arms over his chest, he stood up straight and waited. He had a couple hours to kill before he needed to be at the next event. A silent observer as far as everything went, he remembered his friends he’d lost and thanked them for their selfless sacrifice. That was the best he could give. He had gladly sacrificed his own well being for the better good. He was just one of many who had come out of both wars with his sanity and life.

He grew impatient and knocked louder and harder on the door again, pursing his lips. She knew he didn’t like to wait around. “Bullocks…” He cursed under his breath as his eyes darted around the room.

“Having the same brain structure doesn’t mean it is utilised in the same fashion…” Miranda Elliot muttered to herself as she scribbled these notes down onto a long piece of parchment that was already covered in her barely legible scrawl. Who cared if it was difficult to read? It was only her and the publisher that needed to decipher what looked like some sort of code. Miranda’s writing had always been bad and that had made her Dad even more certain of her career path.

With the Remembering day festivities in full flow and little need for her (kids tended not to fake sick when they didn’t have to attend lessons, after all), Miranda had decided to take the time to commence her next book. The research hadn’t been finished, but she had enough to make a start and that was definitely what she’d done judging by the mass of papers littering her desk and tossed up parchment in the bin.

A loud knock was heard at the door but Andy was determined to finish this little paragraph. She knew who was at the door and decided it would not kill her pretentious older brother to wait a little longer until he was in her wonderful company.

The quill started scratching at the paper once more and the loud, brutish knock caused it to be slammed down on the desk in irritation. Miranda removed her thickly rimmed black glasses and stood up, taking her sweet time.

Finally at the door, Andy smoothed down the emerald robes she wore and opened the door. “You’re a minute early.” She muttered uninterestedly, consulting her thin gold wrist watch.

She was grating on his last nerve. Rubbing his eyes with his index and thumb, he let out a hard breath to show his irritation, even if she couldn’t see it. If she wanted some coffee catch up time with him, she would have to move a little faster. He could leave just as easy as he could come and visit. Letting his hand drop to rest on his hip, he frowned hard at the door. Really? Either she wasn’t in her room or she was being a pompous brat.

When the door opened, he gave her a flat stare. Well, he knew which it was, then. He would have preferred she not be in her room, but like most of the Carter children… she was a workaholic. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes, he tried to brush off his irritation. At least he got some satisfaction out of the knowledge that his relentless banging would have irritated her as much as her not getting the door had done him.

“You’re a minute early.”

Smirking a little as she glanced to her watch, a thin smile on his lips, he nodded. “Better than a minute late.” Glancing at her lack of glasses, his smile turned a little deeper. “You sure you can still read the little watch dial without your glasses, Andy?” After a moment of gloating (though he was the first of the siblings to have to use reading glasses), Leon stepped forward and gave her a hug, inviting himself in. “The festivities are in high gear all ready. Have you had a chance to look around?”

Small talk… he didn’t really care for it. Moving over to where she had obviously been working, what with all the papers, books, and various ink splashes, Leon glanced over it before turning to face his sister, his hands in his pockets. “Should I start the coffee, or can you handle that?” A small smile was still on his face, even with all the worry and drama that was going on in his life. James was his disappointment right then. Some might say Leon Carter had to feel disappointment with someone or something to feel normal, though.

After a moment, expecting her to get the coffee, Leon fidgeted a little, a show of how bothered he was. Rolling his shoulder, he glanced away from her. "How is Hogwarts treating you? Are you enjoying your new position?" Attempting a curious face, he raised an eyebrow before glancing back to her.

“Better than a minute late.”

The glare was soon exchanged for a smirk. Miranda’s eyes softened and her thin lips twitched into a smile. She couldn’t really stay irritated with her eldest brother. He was family. Grudges were easy to hold, but not with family. Leon, the king of holding grudges may have found it simple, but his sister didn’t.

No matter how she was willing to let his loud knocking and first comment slide, Leon’s second one caused her to slap him with her free hand. How charming was he? “Even when you can’t do something, old man, other, younger and more attractive people are perfectly capable.” She flashed him a smile before hugging him back.

“Sit, sit. Don’t worry your little, old self over the coffee.” She muttered, indicating a seat before moving over to the small sink and counter tops that sat in the corner of the office. “Black, no sugar?” She’d not seen Leon in a while, so he may have suddenly found a love for honey and lemon (women’s) tea.  Who knew?

"How is Hogwarts treating you? Are you enjoying your new position?"

If Miranda were to be perfectly honest, she wasn’t quite sure.  She missed her old job, the job where she worked with lots of different people in high pressure situations everyday. Where she rarely had the time to breathe and where dealing with ‘fakers’ wasn’t as common as spots on a teenager.

She shrugged her shoulders. “It’s alright. It’s…different.” Andy muttered, pointing her wand at the gas valve on the hob in order to ignite it to boil the kettle.

“How’s James treating you?” Oh she’d heard about his son’s recent…arrest and could only gloat about this. The self righteous wizemgambot member had a son who’d been arrested for forgery. It would be sacrilege not to give him a hard time for it!

“Even when you can’t do something, old man, other, younger and more attractive people are perfectly capable.”

Laughing at the slap, Leon glanced around after pulling away from the hug. “And when are they showing up?” Joking around always made the day seem less stressful. Teasing his only sister was a favorite past time of his, and the rest of their brothers, come to think about it… Not that she didn’t give it back, of course.

“Sit, sit. Don’t worry your little, old self over the coffee… Black, no sugar?”

He was going to take a seat. Leon glanced around her work space, admiring it. Considering all she was doing was working with troublesome teenagers… she got quite a nice ‘office.’ “When have you known me to take it any other way? I might be old, but I haven’t turned into a woman…” Smirking a little, he took off his outer robes and hung them up before sitting down, lounging back in it. “Jamie, on the other hand, would probably take it with extra sugar and cream.”

“It’s alright. It’s…different.”

Nodding, he expected her to drone on about it and was slightly surprised she didn’t. That wasn’t a great sign. His hands clasped in his lap, he glanced to the kettle as the flame leaped to life. Blinking, his thoughts elsewhere for a moment, he merely nodded again. Her next question, however, brought his attention back to the conversation with a small frown in her direction.

“How’s James treating you?”

Sitting up in the chair, he took a slow breath in before letting it out, judging her reaction. She seemed to enjoy it. Julia had told him he needn’t overreact, and that was the last thing she had said about it. Perhaps, though, that was because he had overreacted… on both her and the boy. Smoothing out his trousers, he glanced at them briefly as he considered the question a little longer. “James…” He couldn’t keep the edge of irritation out of his voice. “He paid bail and is out until his trial.”

Leon had refused to loan him the money for it, but his brothers had chipped in and helped out. Not only did James seem to have issues with ‘forgery,’ but he also had money problems. Leon couldn’t believe he had a son who went against everything he believed in. Gambling was the least of the worries right then, though. “He knows I’m disappointed.” Leon made sure he told him as soon as he was out of Azkaban. “I didn’t come to discuss that boy, however.”

Best to get off of the subject of James as quickly as possible. “First, though… How is Maya?” Leaning forward, he decided to take the ‘caring uncle’ route. It would force her on a different subject as well as give him time to have a hot cup of coffee before tackling his big question.

The primary banter and small talk never lasted long between the Carter siblings. They only really met up to discuss something specific or get something sorted and so very quickly, that topic would be happened across. Why waste time when all five of them were very busy? This was why Miranda had wasted little time in getting to the subject that she believed her eldest brother had come to moan about.

However, judging by Leon Carter’s face, he hadn’t come to discuss this. As he politely answered her question, Miranda couldn’t help but fight the smirk that struggled to present itself. Of course she felt sorry for Leon having to deal with James who’d ended up stealing and committing forgery, and worse, been caught for it, but Miranda was somewhat pleased as well. Her self-righteous, law abiding and proud brother had just been made to realise that he couldn’t control everything. Well, and that he wasn’t above everything.

“I didn’t come to discuss that boy, however.”

Then the man asked how Maya was and Miranda simply rolled her eyes. She soon found that she couldn’t hold back the smirk any longer and a full grin erupted on her lips. “I can’t believe it.  My eldest brother, ex auror, member of the Wizengambot and proud upholder and enforcer of the law has a criminal for a son. I never thought I’d see this day, big brother.” It was just too difficult to skip past this bit of conversation and Miranda would enjoy every bit of pleasure she gained from it. It wasn’t often your big brother had to publically conceit defeat.

“But seriously, I hope you have spoken to him properly to discuss why he did it and not just shouted.” She frowned, knowing just how overbearing he could be when mad. Miranda filled a couple of mugs with coffee granules followed by the boiling water.

“Oh and Maya is fine. She’s got a job, staying at my house while I’m here and keeping herself out of Azkaban.”

Leon might have asked himself once upon a time how it was his brothers and himself were cursed with such a troublesome and horrendously devilish sister for a sibling. Over time, however, it just became something that they all accepted and attempted to move on with. If she happened to win in something, she gloated about it as much as the rest of them. She might have even taken in a burping contest or two, though Leon couldn’t recall who ever won those. Silly sibling things that came up; constant competition amongst the five of them. The ferocity of it hadn’t changed as they got older, just the subject of competition.

He wasn’t really surprised, then, that she felt the need to stick to the subject she felt was most condemning of him. She knew what got under his skin, what pushed his buttons, and now that he had a criminal for a son… well, he doubted he’d hear the end of it any time soon. Though, to be fair, Leon (or any of their other siblings) would harp on Miranda if something she expected in her life happened to change all of a sudden. Nature of the beast.

“I can’t believe it. My eldest brother, ex auror, member of the Wizengambot and proud upholder and enforcer of the law has a criminal for a son. I never thought I’d see this day, big brother.”

Rolling his eyes, Leon supposed he couldn’t be quite as jolly about the situation as Miranda seemed to be able to do. He was disappointed, and he kept his grudges a lot longer than most. Those who knew him, however, knew that was the case. Even if he realized it was a bit irrational. “I do proudly uphold and enforce the law, Miranda. I never thought I’d see this day either.” He wanted to throw something at her the longer she smirked at him like that.

“But seriously, I hope you have spoken to him properly to discuss why he did it and not just shouted.”

His mouth opened to give her a piece of his mind, to tell her ‘of course I talked to him,’ with that gruff edge to his voice. Then she said ‘and not just shouted,’ and he quickly closed it, looking a little more sullen than he had previously. Perhaps he had made a bad judgment call when he flew off the broom handle upon hearing of his son’s run in with the law. Grumbling slightly, he glanced downwards from Miranda, feeling a bit sheepish all of a sudden.

“Oh and Maya is fine. She’s got a job, staying at my house while I’m here and keeping herself out of Azkaban.”

Just another little poke towards driving him insane. “You’re letting her stay, unsupervised, at your house?” Eyebrow raised, he merely chuckled and put a hand up, shaking his head. “You are trusting.” Sure, Maya was by all means of the term an adult, but that didn’t mean she was prepared to be on her own. Opinions of boys versus girls were always varied, especially with Leon’s history of being the eldest Carter sibling. “Good for her, though. Job will help keep her busy.”

Finally, he glanced down into the mug, moving it in a slow circle and stirring the water around. “I just had a question, really, to ask.” Putting one hand up, his eyes flickered to her face. “And don’t laugh, because I wouldn’t be here if I wasn’t being serious.” taking a slow breath, he crossed his arms over his chest before looking her dead in the face. “How would I find out if Julia was having an affair?”