Read more about recent occurrences in Monty's bio - but the premise is that Monty (more commonly known until recently as Octavius) was fiddling with a prototype time-turner from Filius Pepper (father of Octavius and Francis, grandfather of Ambrose and Theta) while on a trip to America with his Muggle wife, Catherine. He was sent back 20 years, and has now reached present day again, and appears to all his friends and family in the UK that he's suddenly 20 years older for the trip...

---

It had been twenty fantastic, but bittersweet years since he had stepped inside the fireplace of his studio of their house in Sandy, but for his wife Catherine it had only been a matter of weeks, and in her perspective, the same for Octavius, or as he now answered to, Monty.

Crossing the international floo boundary had been tricky - his paperwork looked fine, only he was recognisable on the American side for the man who had fame in flying cars, who were curious as to how a Catherine Pepper was travelling with him - he wasn't married? Monty had offered them his twenty-year old replacement papers, not the ones that had come from Britain with him, which had been safe in the hotel room with Catherine.

Arriving the other side, in Britain, he presented his original papers, with his wife Catherine intact, but looking twenty years older than he should have. He had friends over there, they were baffled, and the explanations had to be given.

Catherine dusted the soot off her coat and placed the miniatures of their bags down on the floor, looking to her husband to transfigure their bags back to their correct size, looking weary. She hadn't wanted to have to give such a lengthy explanation to family friends at the floo border and really wanted to sleep. Monty's heart sank a little every time she stole a look at him, how disappointed she must be to bring a husband back from America twenty years older than they had set out as, whereas she had traversed time at the normal pace.

They were later home than they had intended, but the house was clean, tidy, and smelled just the way he remembered it. Theta's cat, Oscar, observed them from an armchair in the living room as they stepped through from the portrait studio, which was the magically enlarged room in the house, also attached to the floo network - an easily sealed room if a Muggle had to enter the house.

At least they were early enough to go and meet Zeta and Eta at the train station with Francis - oh, perhaps that wasn't such a good idea thinking about it…

Theta couldn't believe how much dust had accumulated in the weeks that her parents had been away. She'd cleaned each week… more or less… but it looked like she'd never touched it. It had taken two nights, including some help from Chris to get everything sorted before her mum and dad were due home from their trip. They were meant to be coming back by plane today, but she'd heard nothing - it was hard to send an owl, and Theta was pretty sure the Muggle telephone had given up the ghost last time there'd been a magical accident in the house.

They'd turn up when they - a whooshing noise from her father's studio where he painted portraits at the back of the house made the hairs on the back of Theta's neck stand up on end. That was the fireplace - someone had just flooed into the house. In the kitchen, unable to see clearly round the corner into the living room, and the studio beyond, Theta was instantly on her guard.

"Hello?" She called cautiously, wand in hand, wishing she'd taken defence against the dark arts past her OWL suddenly.

She was relieved to see her mother first,
"Welcome home!" Theta embraced her Muggle mother of similar stature to herself, and buried her face in her neck, kissing her fondly. "I thought you were taking the aeroplane home?"

She raised her head and opened her arms to receive her father and her eyes almost fell out.

"MERLIN!" Theta exclaimed loudly, "What HAPPENED?!"

"I don't think America's been very good for me," Octavius responded to his daughter's exclamation, and smoothed a hand down his face, "aged me."

His daughter was still agape, and he tried to smile sympathetically.
"Its a bit of a long story, love, why don't you make us some tea, let your mother get settled, we might need you to go and get Zee and Et from Kings Cross, so can't be too long explaining."

Octavius kissed his wife on the top of her head and suggested he take her coat, and she put her feet up.

"He's twenty years older, Theta. One of his father's bloody timeturners. Happened a couple of days ago - I mean, a couple of days for you and me, apparently a couple of decades for your father." Catherine flailed a hand in the direction of her husband, stepping away with a frown on her face. "We've just had to go through all of this with the men at the floo border - we'll explain darling, I'm just tired - so tea, yes please, and I'll go and just change out of these clothes."

Octavius let his wife go, and looked back to his floundering, academic daughter.

"I think you better send an owl to Francis." He told her quietly once they heard Catherine's footsteps on the stairs. "Save having to repeat this again."

A matter of miles away in Biggleswade, Francis Pepper was straightening out the sheets on his younger son's bed when an owl thumped against the upstairs window in mid-afternoon December gloom.

The house was ready for his two sons to return, and the Christmas ornaments were all downstairs waiting in boxes in the living room for them to put them up together, with Gabrielle. He'd managed to wrap the Christmas presents already bought, thankfully, and they were stowed in the bottom of the cupboard in his bedroom. He'd disturbed a couple of Claire's old jumpers which he'd put there out of the way in the process and had wondered what he was going to do with all of it.

Wrestling with the window clasp, Francis eventually rescued the owl inside, recognising it vaguely as his brother's. He kept quite a strong bird for parcels of art supplies and what not, but it was long in the tooth. The two of them didn't exchange owls very often, given the distance, and the regularity the family saw each other - but Octavius was due home with Catherine from their trip to America that afternoon. Octavius had been excited at the prospect of meeting a mysterious Pepper relative on the other side of the pond, and driving as many flying cars as he could get into - license be damned.

The owl obediently perched on the edge of Tim's desk, before scratching and dropping feathers on the freshly cleaned carpet.

Francis opened the letter and found it was from Theta. Her usual neat, regular handwriting looked a little more rushed and on first glance, Francis assumed there had been a delay in his brother's return, and she was asking if he could also collect Zeta and Eta from the train with Ambrose and Tim. Side-along apparition of four was a bit of a weight, but if necessary…

Please come to the house, Dad needs to speak to you immediately. Bring Gabrielle if she's with you.

It looked like Theta had gone to sign off, but had added,

Nobody's hurt or dead, just you will have to see it with your own eyes and hear first hand.

Francis raised his eyebrows quizzically at it all. Octavius clearly had news or something with him from America that couldn't wait for the whole family. He quite liked an audience for his little stunts, but perhaps this one wasn't suitable for the four younger Peppers…

Rummaging in the desk drawers, Francis managed to find a quill but no ink, so resorted to a biro to write on a piece of parchment he tore from the original parchment.

Most mysterious - won't be long - F

Francis attached it to the bird and sent it back out the window where it vanished.

Descending the stairs, Francis ruffled his hair, contemplating what he'd say to Gabrielle about them having to go up the road earlier than expected, and placed the note from Theta down.

Gabrielle was pulling out the freshly baked pumpkin gingerbread loaves, salivating at their mightily heavenly scent. She could take a teensy weensy bite - Francis and the boys didn't have to know.  After all, this was only one loaf out of .... ten that were going to be distributed amongst the Pepper clan as well as one for Thackery and the Storm families. She was humming[1] quietly as the loaves were placed gently on the cooling racks after being slid out gently with a knife. The room soon was permeating further with scents of holiday warmth and cheer .... and food. Taking the utensil, she cut one of the loaves down for the first slice and cooled it with her lips.

And then, she proceeded to plop it into her mouth. A sigh of approval escaped, munching down on the various flavours before swallowing. Merlin, with the way things were going now for the official/unofficial couple, Francis Albert Pepper was getting someone who knew their way around the kitchen. The Easter pudding had been all right, considering all the drama circulating it, but this. This reminded her of the scents of bakeries in Romania and the moments spent at Hogwarts, namely in between Halloween and Christmas.

Hopefully, by the time the Peppers ate their loaves, they'd think the same too. Speak of... Gabrielle tilted head towards the nearest clock. Almost three. They needed to be getting ready to go get the boys and spend time with his family....and maybe, just maybe....

[2]'...we'll be free to be as we are. The world can know we love each other...'

Gabrielle smiled in reflecting on his words the previous night. Yes, soon. They would be free and hopefully, his family would graciously welcome her as she felt her immediate family would have had she said yes. The cuckoo bird soon cried out, snapping the witch back to the task at hand. "Francis! It's three! Time to go, love!" Gabrielle called out, soon hearing his feet on the stairs. Talk about quick on your feet, eh? Shaking her head, she cut one more piece, stuffing it into her mouth, hoping very well to not get caught redhanded.

1.	Taikatalvi | Nightwish
2.	Here to Stay is a New Bird

"Francis! It's three! Time to go, love!"

Gabrielle had taken over the kitchen and it smelled delicious. He wasn't awful at cooking, but Gabrielle did it for love and pleasure. Francis did it because he could, and he had to to feed himself, but he didn't take pleasure in it.

He was momentarily speechless, and she was surprised to see him there that instant she called.

"Slight change of plans my love," Francis explained and extended Theta's letter, it quite clear the bottom had been torn off past the hurried signature. "I've written back to say we'll come - it came with my brother's owl." He rounded the kitchen table to encircle his arms around her waist.
"We still have plenty of time, the train doesn't arrive for a few more hours yet - though you're right, we were going to get ready to go and do things before we went to the station."

His hands caressed her waist and he peered over her shoulder at the baking,
"It'll just be my brother's brought something ridiculous back from America, you remember how he is." Octavius had always been the one to try and show off with those bright sparks of inspiration - whether it was the naked painting of Bagshot in the window of a shop in Diagon Alley during her tour or trying to make his Muggle car fly on his wedding day...

"Those smell delicious," he reached towards them cautiously, "you really didn't have to go to so much trouble... will you be ready to go soonish?"

Post choking on that final bite, Gabrielle plucked the letter from Francis' fingers, reading it even as Francis explained it. Hm. "Well, you know if we don't go and appear, there'll be scandal in the midst of it all, aye? I have to make good impressions. After all, the only child of Mina Murray and Vladislaus Dragulia can't possibly look like a fool. It's already bad enough she's stark madly in love with one Francis Albert Pepper," she mused warmly, indicating that she was merely teasing about forming bad opinions. She knew that she was adored by a handful of them with Francis at the tippy top.

His hands around her waist made her stomach flutter each time those nimble fingers found their way there. Gabrielle sighed in pleased contentment, listening and nuzzling as the caresses and stories continued on. "Yes, I seem to remember a particularly jealous little brother who wanted to be just like his older one and Gwydion Mayberry. Naturally, I would never expect anything less from him - after all, everyone has that kooky relative that you either love or loathe. It's love for me, rest assured," the witch replied with a grin plastered upon her face.

She noted the reaching out and she instantly playfully swatted his fingers away, only to interlock them as she took the knife in tow once more. Cutting another slice with their hands intertwined, Gabrielle released it shortly after and using her free hand, turned to feed Francis tenderly. "It's not trouble at all. Minus my few family left, you all are all I have and more importantly, I don't bake for just anyone." She paused, the starstuck look in her eyes ever there. "I do it for those I love."

Her father's owl landed on the kitchen windowsill and Theta opened it to let the bird come inside before detaching the quick note from Francis that he'd be there soon. He sounded happy, not alarmed at Theta's note thankfully. She dropped the note onto the tea-tray and carried it through to the living room beyond.

The Pepper family's living room was homely, full of paintings that didn't move, paintings not yet awake as their subjects were very much alive and well. That was one drawback to moving paintings, they didn't become sentient until the subject died - whereas photographs captured the souls of the living into a loop of how they were at that moment, the emotion - a snapshot.

The paintings covered the cream wallpaper with the fading leaf pattern which had been there as long as Theta could remember. The room boasted no fireplace - a feature torn out by the Muggles who had owned the house before her parents had bought it with a Gringotts loan converted to Muggle currency. Another reason why the fireplace had been installed in the magically enlarged studio at the back of the house.

The winter afternoon sunlight spilled in through the glass ceiling of the studio and through the door to it from the living room, highlighting the odd bit of fluff on the carpet which she'd missed in her cleaning. Her mother sat facing the light in an armchair to Theta's right as she entered the room from the kitchen, and her father an armchair to the left, both facing each other. The room was silent, Catherine having just returned from upstairs, in a thick woolly jumper, her face slightly puffy as if she had been weeping while alone in the bedroom.

Theta placed the tray down on the low table between them and gave both a reassuring smile, trying not to stare too openly at her father. She'd set out five cups and saucers - enough room on the sofa for Gabrielle and Francis, and Theta if she squeezed on the end. A captive audience for what appeared to be a rather difficult tale.

"Thanks Theta, love." Her father spoke softly and reached out to squeeze her arm as she stirred the china teapot with the strawberry design.

Theta looked up into his face and smiled. He looked a lot more like her grandfather, Filius, who they visited in school holidays, he had a place in the South of France and fell over their extra chairs when they visited - his eyesight failing almost completely now. She hoped that this change was temporary... but she knew if it was a time-turner that had caused it, her father had shortened his life by twenty years too.

"Francis is on his way," she assured them both, handing her mother the parchment strip her brother in law had sent back. The gesture gave Theta a chance to examine her mother's face more closely, and she squeezed her hand, interrupted by a sharp crack at the back door.

"That'll be them!" Theta exclaimed a little more loudly than intended, and shot back into the kitchen, opening the door to Francis and Gabrielle.

"Come in, come in." She greeted warmly as she could, embracing one and then the other, even if she'd just seen Francis at work a day or so ago. "We're in the living room, I've made tea."

Ushering them through, Theta closed her eyes momentarily, waiting for the reaction to land as she could see her father's figure had stood up to greet his brother and family friend.

"Yes, I seem to remember a particularly jealous little brother who wanted to be just like his older one and Gwydion Mayberry. Naturally, I would never expect anything less from him - after all, everyone has that kooky relative that you either love or loathe. It's love for me, rest assured,"

They laughed together, and wrestled playfully momentarily over the baking, Gabrielle relenting to feed him a piece.

"It's not trouble at all. Minus my few family left, you all are all I have and more importantly, I don't bake for just anyone. I do it for those I love."

He leaned forward and kissed her tenderly, wishing, not for the first time that day, that he could forget about picking up his sons from Kings Cross Station and take Gabrielle in his arms upstairs.

"You're too good to me, Gabrielle." Francis assured her, petting her hair with one hand. "We really should go and see what's got Theta in a fuss though, my interest is piqued. I do hope she hasn't spoiled our news to Octavius and Catherine!"

Not too long later the two of them stepped out onto the back doorstep of the house in Biggleswade, Francis locking it behind them with a jumble of Muggle keys. Arm in arm, he side-along apparated Gabrielle to the back doorstep of his brother's house a few miles away in Sandy - one garden blinking into another rather more overgrown and secluded patch of land and a different back door.

Theta soon appeared the other side of the glass and opened the back door to let them in.

"Come in, come in. We're in the living room, I've made tea." They embraced her in turn and Francis waited while Theta released Gabrielle before going through the adjacent doorway from the kitchen to the living room.

The man stood up with his arms out to either side was not who he expected to see.

"Monty Pepper?" Francis asked, recognising the man from the newspaper clippings Octavius kept. His brother was probably hiding somewhere just for a laugh. "My goodness - I didn't realise you were coming here to Britain. Very good to meet you Sir!" He looked back to Gabrielle,
"Gabie, this man is our long lost relative who Octavius went to visit - he makes flying cars. Monty - this is Gabrielle Murray-Harker, as well as the woman who brightens my life, she's Head of the Department of International Magical Co-operation."

"He's no long lost relative." Catherine spoke from her usual armchair. Francis stepped to one side to see her better. "That is Octavius, your brother."

Francis paused, staring at her, and then his eyes slid to the face of the man in front of him.

"No..." He spoke quietly, "What on... earth...?"

Catherine took the chance to explain - Monty tried not to show his disappointment at being beaten to the punch. His brother's expression changed rapidly from the elation of meeting Monty Pepper to realising it was Octavius. He could already see his older - well, that was in dispute now - brother working out what could have happened.

"Dad's decade prototype." He told Francis. Theta gasped and clapped her hands to her mouth a moment later to mute herself. She was still stood behind Gabrielle and Francis. His brother's face showed recognition.

"It worked?" The response was amazed, followed by something more cautionary "Octavius you should have brought it to me, I could have checked it." He raised his hand to Francis and shook his head.

"No, it was meant to be this way. Why else would I have spent the last twenty years intermittently following a relative that looked remarkably like me?"

He looked round his brother to Gabrielle and gave a wave,
"Hello Gabie, dear, nice to see you again. I take it the title of 'woman who brightens up my life' means that you two are back together then?" Octavius looked back over his shoulder to his wife seated in the armchair, "See, not just me who's got surprising news!" Catherine mustered a smile and a look of genuine interest.

"Why don't you sit down, have some tea. I think we all need to share a few things before the kids come home, eh?" Octavius gestured to the sofa and insisted Gabrielle, Francis and Theta all went to sit down.

There would have been corrections about her last name, however, there were much more pressing matters. Gabrielle watched with a shocked expression - the humility one before it wiped clean - when brothers were reunited. Godric, the last she had seen Oct... Monty, her brain reminded, was post-interview. So, give or take twenty years or so and there was much to be surprised about.

Clearing her throat, Gabrielle realised she was still standing next to Theta, as though shy and coy. Tea. Yes. Tea. The witch nodded, taking an immediate seat on the couch, smiling faintly as Theta and Francis would follow suit shortly thereafter.

"....It's...been a while. Seeing you all," she stammered, feeling utterly wrecked in the nerves department. How would the Peppers justify this reunion when their aunt, their sister-in-law laid in Mungo's? Gabrielle took her cup, filling it with the amber liquid.

Her hands were shaking. Her brain was now fighting with the heart and the conscience was torn between the two. This was already turning out to be a nerve shot reunion on her part.

Raising the cup, Gabrielle drank, eyes cast downward as worry and regret began to fill her...even as the faint grumbly voice of Ignan's previous advice came in to shoo the angst away.

"Hello Gabie, dear, nice to see you again. I take it the title of 'woman who brightens up my life' means that you two are back together then?"

Francis inwardly cursed, his brother had seen through that, presumably with the distance of time and miles in America freshened his eyes.

"Why don't you sit down, have some tea. I think we all need to share a few things before the kids come home, eh?"

Together they all took a seat, Francis sat between Gabrielle and Theta, still staring at his brother. There would have to be an inquiry, find out how this could have happened, how their father had managed it - but yet claimed it was a failure.

"….It's…been a while. Seeing you all," Gabrielle spoke from beside him, sounding shaky. Francis suddenly realised that his brother's comment about them had given her as much of a surprise as he had received from seeing the rapid ageing.

"It has, for some more than others. Sorry, Octavius, you've rather caught me by surprise with that to say the least. Are you saying that you are the man Monty, who you've been writing to all these years? Are you to say you've been writing yourself letters?"

His brother nodded, looking rather impressed with himself it seemed.

"Merlin!" Francis exclaimed, raising his own teacup to his lips and feeling glad of it. Suddenly his rekindled relations with Gabrielle seemed insignificant. But the way her teacup shook, his own hand found hers, resting his fingertips upon hers for a moment, just enough of a sign of his companionship and support in their present company.

Briefly, his brother detailed the past twenty years - of buying the failing flying car company, Blue Silver after realising who Monty had been all these years, and then building it all up. Then, cutting to the night it all happened, and Catherine's shock.

All eyes turned to the Muggle in the room who shook her head and waved off their sympathetic comments, but it was all apparent from the way Catherine conducted herself that it had been a very stressful few days getting her head round things.

"I anticipate you want us to pick the girls up from the station then?" Francis asked, eventually, the tea drunk, pot empty, the time getting close to when the train would arrive.

"We were hoping - you, Theta… Gabrielle." Catherine added the only non-Pepper in the room's name with a slight hesitation. Octavius and Catherine weren't able to mask their worries about Gabrielle and Francis spending time together like this. Theta in her youthful enthusiasm had given her approval, being more concerned with the happiness of Francis who she saw every working day, than of the rest of the family's perception.

"Of course. We'll be able to apparate them all back here. Side-along, I think," yes, two sons, two daughters, three adults, well, someone might have to take two, probably him. They'd have to do this all again once they arrived, and then still tell Tim and Ambrose when they were home about the other thing. What a mess.

Theta's mind was boggling at the thought of having to live 20 years without them all, on his own. How incredibly sad - her shock was now mixed with sympathy and admiration. But her mother just looked shell-shocked. How were her sisters going to react? Zeta's reaction would perhaps be the most drastic - she and Dad were very close, perhaps closest of the three of them. Eta would claim it was fate, in the stars all the time or something. Perhaps it had been...?

Francis touching Gabrielle's hand to reassure her hand't gone unnoticed, and her parent's reaction to Gabrielle's appearance had been frostier than expected. That was a shame, shouldn't they be happy? What a mixed up day, and it was only going to get worse.

"Yes, sure, we'll manage." Theta eventually spoke, distractedly. She'd been cradling an empty cup for a while now and placed it back on the tray with some finality.
"We better be off though, otherwise we might be late." The youngest witch in the room looked to her companions on the sofa, who looked as surprised as she did.

The family looked like they'd all seen a ghost.

Monty shut the back door behind them and watched as Francis, Gabrielle and Theta held hands and disapparated in a ring from just outside in the garden. He saw his aged reflection in the glass after they departed and sighed. Catherine had carried through the tea tray behind him, and turned to face him as he looked round.

"Definitely not an ordinary Christmas, eh, my love?" He spoke softly, opening his arms for his wife. He nestled her head against his shoulder, kissing her hair.
"Don't worry, we'll be fine. Everything will be fine. We're the Peppers, we stick together."
"Tell that to your brother." Catherine muttered beneath his chin.
"In time. If the look on Ambrose and Timothy's faces doesn't send her packing first."
"Perhaps we shouldn't have gone away."
"Eta would probably tell us fate made it impossible not to," Monty replied with a shake of his head, still cradling his wife, "and I'm inclined to agree."