With a hoot hoot, the red Hogwarts train hurtled in and came to a slow stop. Young children pressed their faces to the windows and waved, while the teenagers sneaked looks over the younger ones and pretended not to see the frantic waving of their parents.

This was the last place Aileen ever thought she'd be, standing at King's Cross station waiting for a child. Not her child, thank Salazar. Her niece, Sulwen, had sent her an owl asking if she wouldn't mind picking her up while her mother was out of the country. Her niece, Sulwen, always so polite and prepared. She'd been surprised at the request, assuming that one of her other relatives would volunteer or that Sulwen's mother would have arranged things in advance to prevent Aileen from showing up and imparting opinions on her schooling. As if Aileen cared that much. Abby was the one who had made an effort when Sulwen had gone off to Hogwarts, forging a friendship with the girl away from the critical eye of their family.

Whatever the reason, Aileen had agreed and she was here now, ignoring the happy fluttering of the other waiting families. She stood apart from the rest, tall in her green winter cloak, the folds falling with a flattering cut. Her blond hair ruffled in the wind, but she waited with a sort of stillness, appearing unperturbed by the chill and the rain. Glancing at the cloudy, darkening sky, she thought of the solstice next week. She'd made an appointment with Level Nine to get her mind back and the pentral out.

The pentral had a name, she knew it now. Lucy. It felt like a name given to someone who would stay young forever.

Sulwen was one of the first to emerge from the train, her posture straight, her pace calm, her gaze focused as she levitated her own luggage. When she spotted Aileen, her composure dipped and the luggage did too, but she regained control, walking over with a touch of pride in her bearing.

Aileen's face softened with a slight smile. Really, her older brother should be proud to have such a dignified daughter. Sulwen's hair swung straight, her uniform looked pressed, everything was in place. Aileen pretended not to notice the slight shadows under the girl's eyes. Perhaps she was catching a cold.

Aileen touched her shoulder in greeting. Sulwen looked relieved at her subtlety. Bless.

She gestured at the girl's luggage.

"Is this it?"

"I pack neatly, Aunt."

Aileen held back a wider smile.

A smooth trip, Sulwen in one piece. Aileen couldn't have asked for more. All they needed to do was leave before more children spawned from the train and the station grew ever more chaotic. She motioned to take the luggage for her, but Sulwen looked back at the train, hesitating, and didn't notice as she levitated her luggage to the side and knocked it into another kid.

“@&%*#!!” The paper airplane soaring from the carriage doors suddenly enlarged to the side of an eagle and began to narrowly miss a few heads. Running behind it? Noah Edward Pratt. “@&%*#! @&%*#! @&%*#!” The thirteen-year-old cursed loudly as he pushed through the crowd after his invention. “Watch out! Mind your head!”

No one was stopping the place and Noah watched in horror as suddenly, the paper contraption started to catch fire. “Oh @&%*#!” he exclaimed once more. His Dad was going to kill him. Where was his Dad even? Probably looking out for Natasha. Good.

“Watch it!” Nope, the blonde lady wasn’t paying any attention. “WATCH OUT!” He yelled but the burning hell plane veered straight for the Witch’s head. “OH @&%*#!! SORRY!”

“NOAH!” The roar came from behind him and Noah’s head span from the angry looking blonde witch to see the angry looking blond wizard making a very fast approach. Natasha was quickly following behind. She had that same look on her face that she always did when she looked at him. Displeasure. Such a girl!

Sulwen glanced back, hearing a kid swearing behind her. Such awful language, and in front of the adults! She hoped the culprit would get grounded at home for the holidays.

Her eyes widened at the sight of the fire. Distracted, her wand hand drifted to the side. In the background she heard a sharp Sulwen! and her aunt's voice casting a spell that halted the floating luggage.

Ow! A kid whined, calling for her parents. Thump! Sulwen's luggage hit the ground beside her.

Zoom! The fireball sailed over Sulwen and straight for Aunt Aileen.

Sulwen let out a little gasp. "Aguamenti!"

She waved her wand just as the flaming firebird crashed into the side of Aileen's head. A jet of water shot out, soaking the paper and Aileen's hair.

Aileen stepped back and stood there for a moment, hair dripping. Unharmed. She gave Sulwen such a stunned, offended look that Sulwen stepped back too.

Then the soggy paper bird flopped onto Aileen's shoulder, steaming from the water.

Aileen plucked it off, looked at it with disdain, and finally noticed the swearing boy. The obnoxious Pratt boy who had caused this mess.

Sulwen crossed her arms and glared at Noah. Such a Gryffindor! He had to go and make her aunt mad when Sulwen desperately needed to tell her something!

"I'm assuming this belongs to you," Aileen told the boy coolly, holding out the soggy mess with her thumb and forefinger.

Her gaze flicked up to the yelling blond man whose voice matched the boy's, and Sulwen swore she could see shards of ice glinting in her eyes.

“Noah!” Eddie repeated, landing a heavy hand on his oldest son’s shoulder. He’d been so fussed on catching up to the boy that he’d not noticed the now drowned blonde rat handing a soggy paper airplane down to his son. Oh bugger blast and hippogriff poo!

Hand holding onto the rebellious 13-year-old, Ed looked from the little blond stuck up looking girl up to Ailment Reid. What the hell was she doing at Kings Cross on pick up day?

Noah, not one to be outwardly rude, opened his hand and took the soggy airplane with a mutter of “Thanks”. Ed gave his shoulder a hard squeeze, and Noah added a sheepish “Sorry.” Behind Noah, Natasha was stood, arms crossed over her chest, glaring at her older brother.

“He’s been like this all term, Dad. Kids are starting to call him sooty because he keeps blowing things up and getting covered in soot.”

Noah sent his sister a scowl and Ed squeezed his shoulder again, a firm warning. His gaze was, however, on Aileen.
“Kids will be kids.” He shrugged. “Ye’ll dry off.”

Annoyed and aware of all the glances thrown their way on the crowded platform, Aileen smoothed her damp hair and stood as tall as ever. She arched her eyebrows at this 'Noah', who had the misfortune of being spawned by Eddie Pratt. There was no hope for him. No hope at all. The boy's apology was better than his father would ever offer, but as the years passed he'd only cause larger fires and Pratt would not be there to shrug and make excuses for each one.

"Hm. Taking responsibility as always, I see," Aileen replied coolly, her icy gaze locked on Pratt. She would have liked to say more, but felt uncomfortably cognizant of her niece and the other children watching her.

"No harm done, this time," she barely glanced at Noah Pratt, then nodded at Sulwen. "Thanks to you, Sulwen. If you're ready-"

Sulwen was handing a folded note to Natasha, and glanced up with a trace of guilt as she looked between Pratt and Aileen.

"We were just exchanging addresses."

Aileen blinked, and took a closer look at Natasha.

Sulwen glanced at Pratt, and glanced at Aileen, and stepped forward and offered Pratt hand to shake. Oh Merlin, hadn't her mother taught her better? It would only be precious for a few more years and then she would have to find a less formal ways of greeting adults. Though Pratt hardly acted like an adult.

"Mr. Pratt? I'm Sulwen Reid. Natasha and I were hoping to get together over the holidays. I hope you don't mind?" Sulwen asked ever so politely.

Aileen pressed her mouth together, torn between horror and laughter. Oh no. She had to keep Sulwen away from any Pratt influence. Natasha seemed like she'd fallen far from the Pratt brat tree, but who knew what lurked behind that pleasant exterior? Or how long Pratt's shack would even stay standing? She would have to have a word with her niece once they were out of eavesdropping distance. She'd put a stop to it before the rest of the Reids found out and threw fits.

Still, Pratt deserved to squirm a little. Aileen looked at him and oh so innocently raised her eyebrows. A Pratt and Reid becoming friends. Wouldn't that be nice?

Ailment threw in a little dig about responsibility, causing Eddie to raise his eyebrows and smirk.
“Just used to the pitfalls of parenting.” Something she’d know if she had a soul and had found someone willing to actually make babies with her. But she never would because she was the devil incarnate. A soulless blonde witch.

To Ed’s barely feigned horror, the random child with Ailment was with (because, as established, she didn’t have a soul and therefore didn’t have children) handed a folded-up sheet of parchment. Natasha smiled at the girl and Noah demonstrated the facial expression that Ed would have had if he weren’t quite adept at the poker face of an auror. Noah was staring in disgust, mouth agape. Exchanging addresses.

Before he could say anything, Sulwen Reid, as it turned out she was called, stepped forward and thrust out her hand. Eddie blinked.

“Dad…” Natasha whispered from beside him, her tone one of insistence.

He did choose to take Sulwen’s hand and give it a quick shake. Would be rude not to. Maybe this Reid had a soul.

“Sure,” he muttered with a nod before glancing up at Ailment. “She’s not yer daughter, is she?” Maybe he had missed something. Ugh, the horror if Ailment was a mother! If that were the case, he'd change his answer promptly to 'no', his daughter was not hanging out with the devil's daughter.

Sulwen glanced at the Auror quickly, glanced down at the hand he'd just shaken, and stepped back. Hurt flickered on her face. Sulwen was sensitive about people just completely forgetting about her mother or, conversely, putting too much emphasis on her background. Not that Pratt would know.

But he should know better than to phrase the question so rudely. Of course Sulwen thought it had to do with her.

Aileen took a small, protective step closer to the girl.

"She's my niece, if you must know," she tilted her chin up and gave Pratt a look that could freeze a phoenix in mid-blaze.

"Natasha, lovely to meet you. Noah," she gave him a simple nod. "Sulwen-"

"Sulwen!" A young voice hollered across the platform. The Reids looked up to see a boy with his head poking out the train window. "Can you do the levitation thingy on my things too?"

Her niece sighed.

"Aunt Aileen, just one second. I have to go help Wesley."

"You have to...?"

"Abby told me to be nice, Raine told me to keep an eye out for the-" slight hesitation "-boys. He's about to chuck his books out the window and hit someone."

Sulwen was already hurrying back to the train, gesturing at Natasha to follow while Aileen stood there and shook her head, stuck with her niece's neat and tidy trunk, completing avoiding looking at Pratt and his disappointment of a child.

Merlin, by this rate they would leave after everyone else had left.

And who was... had she just say Wesley?

A very well behaved Natasha trundled happily after Sulwen Reid, leaving Ed, Ailment and Noah stuck on the platform together. Ed crossed his arms, considering what he’d done wrong to end up in this position. He kept bumping into Ailment Reid, and it was never fun. She was sour and unsavoury. If Ailment Reid was a salad, she’d be one full of grapefruit and topped in vinaigrette. Her little neice would probably be topped with this new halloumi cheese that everyone was raving about. It looked like yummy marshmellow. Smelt like tasty cheese. But nope, tasted and felt like chewy cardboard. Not that he’d smelled Ailment’s niece. Nope. Weird.

“So er…yer getting’ some help with the pentral, yeah?” He tried. what else could he ask.

Behind him, Noah was facing away, watching the goings on along the platform. He was eager to get home now and have a good race with his Dad in the garden. He’d been practicing his Quidditch moves and needed to show them off.

“Dad,” He tried to get Ed’s attention. Nope. didn’t work. It was then that Noah started to feel something. A dread. An overwhelming dread. “Daaad!”

“Noah, patience.” Ed told him. He also felt the dread, but put it down to Ailment Reid’s delightful company.

Behind Ed, Noah could see it starting to darken. The platform was almost clear now, save their two odd families. But there was something in the distance. A cloud. Black.
“Dad!”

Finally, Ed turned around with a huff. But he looked past Noah and his brows shot up. Dementors.
“Way to bring the joy, Reid.” He couldn’t help himself. “Noah, get yer sister and little Miss Reid, and go through the barrier.”

“Dad, I’m hel-”
“Now.” The tone made it clear arguing was futile.

With a huff, Noah trudged off towards were Sulven and Natasha had gone.
“Moustash!”