Liadan had decided to drop by the Tawse family home to pay Fionn a visit. She gone shopping the other day, buying him a few new things. She did not have her own child yet, and it would likely be a long time before she had one. Besides, Liadan felt this strange connection to the boy since she had been the one who had kidnapped rescued him from his horrible fate. Besides, Cinaed needed all the help he could get. And every boy needed a good maternal figure. She knew very little of Cinaed's mother, and had been curious to meet her since she would be Fionn's caregiver for a while. Liadan did not want to rescue him from one bad situation to throw him into a new one, after all.

She had found him a cute little toy broom, and a child's quidditch set. There were also a few educational type toys- to help the boy learn more about magical creatures and wizarding history. Liadan had also gotten him a toy wand that would shoot sparks and turn things fun colors. The basket she had put together included a couple of story books on top of the toys, and a few outfits she had found that she thought the boy would look cute in.

Liadan had owled ahead that she would be coming. She didn't want to show up unannounced- it would be incredibly rude. The response she received seemed to have a positive tone, so she donned a simple winter dress and coat. She couldn't apparate- she was worried she would splinch herself considering she had never been to the Tawse's home before. (At least not in her memory, she might have with her parents or if they had ever entertained.) Flying was out of the question- Liadan had never flown a broom. She had eventually been forced to settle for floo- and she loathed the floo network!

She gave a dainty cough as she stepped out of the fireplace, setting the basket down and using her wand to clean any stray soot and then adjusted her dress and hair. Liadan was surprised to see an older boy (or young man) sitting in the room when she finally took in her surroundings. Had she arrived at the correct place? "Is this the Tawse residence?" she asked, reaching for the basket. Drat! She had misspoken! And she was in some stranger's house. She was certain of it.

At the beginning of the Christmas holidays Xavier had been given the go ahead from both his mother and Uncle Cin to spend his time at the Black Chimaera, something that was usually saved for his summer months. He had been excited about being in Knockturn for the holidays but all of that had been had been ruined by the return of his father and the revelation about his half brother. Xavier had been so horribly affected by the truth that he had become a menace. His remaining days at the Chimaera had been spent picking fights with anyone that was willing to take him on. Several black eyes and split lips later  Cináed had finally sent Xavier home, spouting some bile about him becoming a nuisance that  Cináed just didn't want to have to deal with.

Since returning to the family home in Montrose, the home that had been his since he was seven years old, Xavier was constantly being reprimanded by Grandma Anna and fussed over by his mother. However Xavier had stayed firm in his need to be independent and his refusal for any healing. Since his run in with his father Xavier had been punching anything he could get his fists on, which usually ended up being a stone or brick wall. Normally he would have wrapped his hands whenever he boxed but he been neglecting his wraps and had mangled his fists, not allowing any of the woman in the house to heal them for him.

Xavier was sitting in one of the comfier armchairs the sitting room had to offer. He was re-wrapping his hands, tossing the old bloody bandages in the rubbish bin next to him and putting fresh gauze in it's place. He knew the whole process was rather primitive, muggle even, but it kept his wounds from getting infected. He was enjoying the few moments of peace he had gotten in the last few days. He had no idea how or why it happened but there was suddenly a toddler running around the Tawse home and Xavier hadn't been told anything more than the child's name and the fact that he was apparently his cousin. Although he had nothing against the little creature he left the more comforting acts to the women of the house. Seeing his mother fawn over her new nephew made Xavier realize she probably wanted another child of her own and if Henry hadn't left her she probably would have had one.

The spark of green flames caught his cold grey blue eyes and he looked curiously at the woman that had suddenly appeared out of the fire. She was gorgeous. He had no idea who she was but that didn't matter. She was a welcomed distraction from the mess that had become his life and he was going to make the best of her visit no matter what the reason for it actually was. Xavier got to his feet after she was finished primping her outfit and gave the woman a slight bow.

"Aye. This is thee Tawse residence." The startled look on her face made Xavier wonder if she had been thinking she had come out of the wrong fireplace. If she didn't recognize him or hadn't been expecting him than she was either here from his Aunt Maddie or his Uncle  Cináed. If she had been here for Athalia, she would know that she had a teenaged son, "An' what is a gorgeous youn' creature such as yerself doin' here?"

Liadan couldn't help but give him half of a smile. The lad was not nearly as charming as he thought that he was, but it was obvious that he was a Tawse. As long as he didn't have Cinaed's tendency to press her buttons, then she would stop and chat for a few moments. "You flatter an old woman," she teased with a giggle, peering up at him. An odd phrase coming from her- considering she was flat-footed today, standing less than five feet tall. And, regardless of the fact Liadan had at least five years on the boy, many would peg her his age. There was something about her cheeks that made people think of cherubs- baby fat that never seemed to melt off.

"You must be Xavier," she greeted, giving him her hand. "Liadan O Morain. I'm friends with your uncle. I've come by to bring a little gift basket to Fionn..." She motioned to the basket she had set down on the floor. "He's such a lovely young boy. I helped decorate his room at the pub." And by "helped" she really meant "did all the work". Liadan had not let Cinaed have very much say- even though it was his son. She had decided to do it as a present for her friend, and because this whole ordeal had awoken this crazy maternal instinct in her. Liadan had never felt maternal, and never expected to- until she was required to. Which shouldn't have happened until she was married and pregnant. (Too bad for her she had no idea all of this baby fever had kicked off some pretty interesting rumors.)

"What's a handsome young man like you doing inside during the holidays? Aren't boys your age busy wooing the younger years? I know of a few fourth year girls who could use a good romance." Getting them while they're young- seemed like a Tawse mindset. Cinaed employed it. And, though some part of her knew it was unfair to judge the boy based on his uncle, she could not help it. In her experiences, most pureblood families were very much alike. She was just like her parents, who were just like their parents, who were just like their parents, and so on...

Xavier made it obvious that he was checking her out. His cold grey blue eyes roaming her body in a sense of hunger that he hadn't shown for any of the girls his age. As much as he was convinced he was in love with Bella he was still a fifteen year old boy who had been without his beautiful girlfriend for almost three weeks now. Hormones were horrible things, made boys do stupid things without much thought to anything else.

"I don' think there's a single thin' about ye that's old." He looked her over again and added with smirk, "'Cept mebbe those shoes." He admittedly knew nothing of fashion, he knew how to make himself look good and desirable to those kinds of girls that liked a bad boy with muscles to spare but he was no Ferguson Amherst (Thank Merlin!)

Xavier chuckled dryly and took the basket from it's spot on the floor looking over the gifts she had bought the little creature. Having grown up without any siblings or cousins Xavier was definitely not accustomed to having a toddler running around his house and had yet to make up his mind on how he felt about it. Had it not been for his unfortunate holiday experience he probably would have enjoyed it, taken Fionn under his wing like a big brother.

Giving Liadán another smirk he mused, "Don' tell me yer thee lil tike's motha." What a shame that would be. She was too beautiful to be tied down to his uncle or the little creature his uncle had brought home. Truth be told Xavier had never questioned the fact that Fionn was his cousin, or why he only found out about it now and not two years ago when the kid was actually born. It wouldn't be too far fetched for this girl to be Fionn's mother, having only told Cin about him now hoping to get something out of the whole deal. Not too far fetched, just a shame.

Xavier chuckled dryly again, "I've had enuff o' younga girls ta last me a lifetime." He had only had one but that had been enough, "And last I checked I had a girlfriend," His expression soured for a moment, "Though I haven' heard from her since we lef school." He quickly cleared the look away and replaced it with a shadow of his usually charming smile, "Who'd ye know at me school anyway? Ye know jus in case."

Liadan smiled when he told her that nothing about her looked old. What a charming young man! She could just- wait. Her shoes looked old? Liadan frowned, peering down at her feet. There was nothing old about her shoes, they just weren't fancy. Typically she wore nice heels of some sort, but she had intended to come play with the baby, and it wasn't exactly easy to chase a child in high heels. "Just because I happen to wear functional footwear does not mean there is anything wrong with it," she stated. "I would like to see you chase a toddler wearing pumps. It's not a simple task." The comment had solidified her expectation though. He was just like his uncle- no compliment could come without some snide comment to follow it.

Her feathers were already ruffled, and Xavier seemed to feel the need to make that matter worse by suggesting she was Fionn's mother. She gasped, obviously apalled. "Of course i am not the child's mother! First of all, I would have no child outside of wedlock- and if for some barbaric reason I did, I would have forced your uncle to marry me or surrender to the consequences of my wrath. Second of all, if the child were mine, he would be with me at my estate in Ireland. I am fully capable of raising my own children if I were to have any- I would not drop them off with their father's family to be raised. They would be raised in the same home that I grew up in." This did not take into consideration whoever her future husband would be, naturally. More than likely she would marry someone who wanted to raise their children elsewhere- but she would cross that bridge when she came to it. And burn it down after it led straight to her estate.
 
Still frowning, she smoothed her skirt one more time as he spoke of younger girls. "You say that now," she told him. "But when you're in your thirties, I'll wager it will be the younger ones that capture your attentions." If he was going to cheat on his future wife, after all, it was always wiser to cheat up as opposed to cheating down on the scale of attractiveness. "And it's a pity such a handsome young man such as yourself has a girlfriend. I bet all of the girls at Hogwarts were heartbroken to hear that news." He was too young to have a girlfriend, really. Liadan was twenty-two and had yet to have a serious boyfriend. She had dated- just as she was dating Gregory now. Often Liadan had wished her parents had time to arrange her marriage before they died. "And if you're such a little heart breaker, I don't know if I would want to give you names. I would hate to offend that girlfriend of yours..."

Xavier bowed his head giving her a bashful look under dark lashes. He knew he was attractive and that he was double the size of most boys his age, not to mention he had that whole bad boy appeal to him but Xavier felt his most appealing trait was his ability to charm his way out of anything, "Forgive me, I was bein' a prat. I know nuthin bout shoes, jus thee firs thin' ta come ta mind ye know?" He curled his lips into a smile and gave her a gentle wink hoping to save some face as she was obviously getting flustered more and more by the minute.

He bit his tongue and held his smile as she went off on him about the baby. Did she just say barbaric? By Salazar she was one hell of a woman. Xavier was only fifteen and there was a lot in the world he still needed to learn but he didn't think there were still people out there that believed in the whole sanctity of marriage and only sleeping with your spouse and never bearing a child outside of that sacred bond. Xavier thought it was all a load of bull but he found it fascinating if not hilarious that someone like her still believed in such crap.

He knew for sure that if his whole run in with Collins had been in the future by at least two more years he would have been that barbaric. Perhaps it would have only been that much more complicated had they been together in such a capacity but then at seventeen he probably would have been mature enough to deal with it.

He let a soft chuckle escape his lips and brought his eyes to her face again. He rubbed the back of his neck with another charming smile curling his lips, "yeh I don' thin' anyone wants ta invoke thee wrath o' Bellatrix Dark. She cin be intense."

"I thin' Fi's upstairs in his room. Tha' is if ye cin tear yerself away from me." He gave her another playful wink.

He admitted to being a prat? Liadan grinned. "That's one very useful trait to have- being able to admit when you're wrong. Women love that." Because women liked being right. Liadan, especially, liked to be right. In fact, as far as she was concerned, she was never wrong. It was hard, to be perpetually correct all the time. Especially when nobody else ever seemed to realize it! But someone had to be the martyr, Liadan supposed, and she further supposed she was just as fit to play the part as anybody else was.

"You wouldn't want to invoke the wrath of any woman. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. It would be like facing down a hoarde of mountain trolls wandless, in the dark, with your wrists and ankles bound together. This is doubly true for any pureblood girl you offend- and I'm going to assume you have been raised right and that you only bother yourself with girls of the proper lineage. Tawse is a good name, and it deserves to be passed on to worthy children." So long as they weren't her children of course. Liadan enjoyed Cinaed's company for the most part, she didn't hate him- in fact, she supposed, she even more than tolerated him- perhaps even liked him. This situation with the baby had made her like him more.

Xavier was incorrigible. Liadan reached up to give him a gentle pat on the cheek. "You're a bit young for my tastes, dear. If I were still in Hogwarts, I'd let you buy me something pretty, though. Here's a hint for that little girlfriend of yours- girls don't always like surprise gifts. Generally we like to pick something out, so we are certain that we like it. When you get back to school you should take her out and buy her something for no reason- she'll appreciate it. Every woman likes a man who buys her something for reasons other than he's trying to get back into her good graces."

"But if you can't tear yourself away from me, you could be a gentleman and help me carry the basket up to see him. I'm sure he likes to play with his cousin- just like having a big brother." Without waiting on him to agree to aid her, Liadan moved past Xavier. "Which way?" she asked, hoping to spur him into action.

Xavier had never had a problem saying that he was wrong. Pride never factored in to it as much as manipulation did. Giving someone a false sense of security, taking the blame to get them to lower their guard had been one of Xavier's specialties. If he said he was wrong it made people look at him differently than if he had been too stubborn to admit it. No one liked a stubborn jerk, he wasn't going to get what he wanted that way. Sometimes humility was the best tool for manipulation out there. It had already worked on Liadan, she now thought he was different, unlike other boys his age all because of one simple sentence. Sometimes manipulating women was all too easy.

He thought about Bella's wrath and what she would say when they met up again after the holidays. Would she be mad that he hadn't sent her a single owl all break? As her boyfriend was he allowed to get angry that she had completely ignored him, been utterly distant during one of the hardest times of his life? She hadn't been there when he needed her the most and he wasn't sure if he could ever truly forgive her for that even if she had no idea she had done anything wrong.

Somehow the idea of giving Bella a present just because wasn't all that appealing, at least not right now, not with everything that was going on. As much as Xavier was putting on a face for Liadan he couldn't ignore the fact that he knew nothing would ever be the same for him ever again. How could he just ignore the fact that he was second rate, something that had been thrown to the wayside by his own father? That he had been easily and seamlessly replaced by that stupid Ravenclaw prat?

On her instruction he picked up the basket and swiftly returned to her side leading her through the large manor towards the upstairs bedroom where Fionn had been situated, next to Xavier's own bedroom, "So if ye don' mind me askin' - if yer not Fi's mutha, why ye doin' all this fer him?"

The question that Xavier asked her was one that was a little difficult to answer. Why was she doing all of this for Fionn? The honest answer was, that since she had gone through the trouble of rescuing him, that she wanted to be certain he was well cared for and happy. Besides, the whole situation had plucked a maternal string somewhere in the dark chasm of her chest that surely housed a heart. And the little boy was just so cute. "Well, he hasn't got a mother," was Liadan's response. "And no child should ever go through life without maternal figures."

"Besides, I'm good friends with you uncle. I've been trying to help him out as much as I could to prepare him. And he really is a beautiful child. Besides, I haven't any children of my own, and a woman is born with the want to take care of children... Not that I don't think your family can't do it- I'm sure you're all more than capable of doing it, I just like to help and want to be involved."

Liadan followed him to Fionn's bedroom, glad to see that the little boy looked like he was rather settled in. He looked much more respectable now that he was dressed like a proper little wizard boy and was playing with the right toys. "He'll need you to look up to, I'm sure," Liadan told Xavier. "Every little boy needs a good role model. Someone younger than his father. I'm sure that you'll be able to give him lots of advice as far as women are conerned." Not that he would need it. Just as she had told Cinaed the other night, she intended to have her own little girl to pair up with him. And they would be a cute little family! (Though, she might have been off the mark when she said that she would be having those babies with Christian.)

Liadan approached the little boy, holding out her arms, surprised when he actually allowed her to pick him up without screaming. Perhaps he had forgotten that she was the one who had kidnapped rescued him? "Hello, little Fionn," she cooed. "I brought you something." She took him to where Xavier and the basket were. She pulled out a stuffed hippogriff and handing it to him before setting him down. Liadan then emptied out all of the different toys and placed them on the ground. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?" she asked Xavier, splitting her attention from the baby- who was discovering the different toys she had brought him- and the young man that she felt the urge to get know a little more about.

Xavier led her through the house and up to Fionn's room easily enough all the while nodding along with what she was saying. He supposed he understood what she meant. Any child needed both parents or at least a suitable replacement if the originals couldn't be there. Xavier wasn't sure if he would have been any different had his father stuck around but he understood all too well that child like need to have your parents with you. He had always felt half full, not quite whole. Sure his mother, Great Aunt Sophia and Grandma Anna had done wonders in raising him but he had missed out on all that father son bonding stuff. He had been drawn to Cinaed when he was older simply because he was the only man to ever have been in his life.

"Every child needs parents." He said simply as they entered Fionn's room. The child looked happy enough. He had been playing with a pile of toys, toys Xavier suddenly noticed closely resembled his own childhood play things and he couldn't help but wonder if his mother had dragged his old things out of storage for his cousin to play with. It had definitely been an adjustment having Fionn there, he had a feeling the toddler wasn't aware they were his family yet but he didn't really expect much from a two year old. Then again no one had bothered telling him where the child had come from, for all he knew his uncle could have just picked the kid up somewhere for the hell of it claiming he was his son.

He leaned against the wall having put the basket down on the nearest end table. He crossed his arms over his chest and watch Liadan play with the child. He was a little surprised that Fionn went to her willingly. From what he had seen the little creature didn't like to be picked up by anyone but he supposed that had something more to do with his adjustment to the new house and being away from whoever his actual mother was. Liadan was young enough and pretty enough that it would make sense for the little guy to trust her and go to her over the other aging women in the house.

When she so innocently inquired about his siblings Xavier rolled his eyes at how loaded that question really was and for an instant was glad Liadan's back was to him, "Well tha's a lil complicated. See me fatha lef when I was seven, jus ran off without a word. Found out jus' a few weeks ago he ran off ta be wit a muggle an' have her half breed children." He shifted his weight again clenching his fists tighter over his arms, "By blood I've got a brotha an' a sista but I don' think I could eva call 'em that." He paused looking down at Fionn snuggling the hippogriff, "Mam doesn' know."

Liadan had not been expecting Xavier's response when she had asked about brothers and sisters. She turned to face him, blinking gently. His father had left to start a family with a muggle? She clucked her tongue. "That's just horrid!" she stated. No doubt Xavier knew how awful that was. "I wouldn't ever call them such a thing, either. A boy like you doesn't need filthy, partbreed siblings. You're better off not recognizing them for what they are. I would hate for you to sully your reputation by getting too close to them... Pureblood girls are picky." She was picky, at any rate, and Liadan definitely considered herself to be worth the affections of any and every wealthy pureblooded man.

The fact his mother didn't know was interesting. "Well, dear, I think it probably best she doesn't find out. Finding out somthing like that could break any woman's heart." Or, depending on the mother, might force Xavier to do some digging. If Liadan had found otu something like that, she'd make her child dig up all the dirt that he could just because she woul want to know- just so she could do something about it. Maybe kill the offending husband. You never knew with her. "I'm sure she's better off not knowing... But if you feel like you must tell her, then break the news gently, darling."

"My brother was pure," she told him. "And he betrayed our family. When I was still in school he turned our father in for breeding creatures and raising dragons. They put him away on a long list of charges- he died in Azkaban. It takes a lot, to make a good sibling- and I often believe they aren't restricted to biology. Some of my dearest friends are like my sisters- much better siblings than my brother could ever be. You probably know him," she added. "He teaches Care of Magical Creatures at Hogwarts. He's full of it- just so you know. Disinherited and kicked out of the family house. He doesn't know anywhere near as much as he says he does. Make sure he's not lying to all of you about things when he's supposedly teaching..."

"If he ever does anything to make you mad, just send me an owl and I'll take care of it. I know enough information about him to ruin him for the student body... You know, he was kicked out of the potions world. He was studying to become a great potions master, but discreditted himself to the point he couldn't find anyone willing to take him on as an apprentice or help him get any further."

Xavier had expected her response about Peyton and Helena. He had spent the last four years using the older Ravenclaw as a punching bag he wasn't about to turn around and become best mates with the kid just because they happen to share the same father. He didn't think he had ever even met his sister. All he knew about the youngest Wentworth was that she could pretty much blend into the walls, something that he thought was rather hard to do in a school like Hogwarts.

What he hadn't been expecting was how she delved into her family's history regarding her own brother, who just happened to be his Care of Magical Creatures Professor. A man that had a particular liking for the Slytherins but whom Xavier was holding a personal grudge against. He let a wicked grin twist his lips as she offered to give him help if Declan ever gave him trouble. Much like he had always thought, it was worth it to know the right people and it was clear that Liadan was the right people.

"Yer brotha matched me halfblood brotha wit me girlfriend fer a project in his class." Even though Bella had convinced him that he was her boy and Peyton meant nothing to her he still hated the whole situation even a month after the project was over with.

"Good ta know bout him tho, might come in handy." His narrowed his eyes and kept his wicked grin with his head tilted to the side, "Ye think I cin owl ye even if yer lil brotha ain't givin me any grief?" Xavier couldn't ignore that he was attracted to the woman and even though he was seven years younger than her he knew he was a well suited husband for her, at least when it came to blood.

"Well, my brother is less than competent. You just tell him from now on not to give you any grief, or you'll have his sister taking care of business." What Liadan did not know is the emptiness that threat would hold for Declan, and how angry he got even now when she was mentioned. Liadan knew that when they were younger he adored her, and even while they were both in Hogwarts he tried very hard to be a good brother- but she refused to have anything to do with him. There was no reason, after all, to find herself in any trouble over speaking to him. Liadan had been convinced that she would get disowned, too, if she did- which was just unacceptable.

She laughed when he asked if he could owl her anyway, and shook her head, smiling. "You certainly are a Tawse, aren't you? More charm than you know what to do with! Who am I to tell you that you can't send an owl? You do that. We can be friends- and maybe I'll send you some presents now and again too. I bet I know of a few designers who could make you robes that the girls would die over. A well dressed man is always more impressive and more desirable. You let me know when your Hogsmeade weekend is, young Mr. Tawse, and we can have dinner and I'll buy you something nice." She liked little pet projects. Besides, she couldn't dress Fergie in the hopes of him impressing some pretty little girl with. How open he was or wasn't about his sexuality- Liadan wasn't a fool, she knew. She just hoped he was smart enough to realize the consequences if his family ever found out.

"Have you given any thought about what you're going to do after Hogwarts?" Liadan asked. "Your OWLs make a big difference in the NEWTs you'll be allowed to take," she reminded him. "There are lots of opportunities for a young man such as yourself. Business is always the best for those with the proper heritage and reputation..." Perhaps Lothario could find him a nice place within the gallery and whatever else he had going on. That would be a nice fit for the boy. She had a feeling he would be good at such less than legal activities if Cinaed was any indication. "You'll be swimming in galleons before you know it after you graduate- and elligible young women. I'll make it my personal duty to introduce you to some of my Italian and French cousins."

Xavier nodded and kept in mind that little bargaining chip he now had against Declan. He already hated the man and it was good to know he had something over his head if the midget decided to get on his bad side again. Despite his fondness for Slytherins Xavier didn't feel like he was getting any special treatment from the Professor, quite the opposite, he felt as if he was being singled out. Well now he knew what to do the next time the man decided to do something as idiotic as partner his girlfriend up with his half brother.

He chuckled at the comment about his charm. It was nice to know that after everything that had happened over the past month he was still able to put on the charm for a pretty lady and Liadan was definitely a pretty lady and well worth his affections. If only he was two years older and an actual adult he might consider courting her properly. For now he'd settle for being her pet.

"Absolutely, I look forward ta being pampered by ye." He gave her a wink and chuckled as his cold grey blue eyes settled on Fionn, the little toddler started to suck on the stuff Hippogriff's taloned hoofs. For a moment he felt as if he would have liked having a little brother around when he was younger, "I'll send ye an owl about Hogmeade weekends as soon as I know."
 
Of course when he returned to school his correspondence with Liadan wouldn be known as an affair with an older woman who showered him with gifts and let him do things to her that no mere Hogwarts girl would let him do. Was the nature of the beast that was teenaged hormones. There was no way he could get away with sending owls back and forth with an older woman and not pretend as if he was sleeping with her.

He sighed and his smile turned serious, "To be honest I was hopin' ta get inta thee Ministry, I haven't decided which department yet."

She grinned when he said he looked forward to being pampered. Liadan did not get ot pamper very many people. Especially people who enjoyed flattering her- even if they were young boys. "I'll be waiting on that owl, then," she said. "I'll make sure to get in touch with some of the better menswear designers. We'll get you fitted and they can send you the altered garments to the school. Hopefully you have a weekend before Valentine's day- that way we can have you looking handsome for your girlfriend. She would like that."

"The ministry? Darling, that's a horrid idea! They don't like people like us- with good heritage and a proper view point on life. It would ruin you to join that organization, they'll have you brainwashed in a matter of days. No, there are much better professions out there for a man such as yourself. Go into business- build yourself a dynasty you can pass down to your children. That's much more fitting. No, the ministry won't do. They spend their time harassing innocent witches such as myself for no good reason. They work hard to make life miserable for pureblooded citizens, assuming we're all horrid and evil. Some of us are law abiding."

Liadan was not among those law abiding citizens, though- but Xavier did not need to know that. Up until the point where she had kidnapped Fionn for Cinaed, Liadan had never really done anything overly illegal. She had a few illegal items, and she might dabble a bit in the dark arts and questionable types of magic (such as voodoo), but that wasn't that bad. Not in the long run. Besides, it wasn't as though she was out playing in the black market. Her shrunken heads were perfectly legal and she let Lothario acquire any type of item she needed that she couldn't walk into a shop and buy.

"You have a couple of years to figure it out. If you must join the ministry, get into the wizengamot- something more about politics. If you end up in scarlet robes, it might break a few hearts. Those aurors are horrid people." Except for Christian, but he was a fake auror.

She glanced toward the toddler again, who had found a blanket and laid down in with the stuffed animal. Liadan smiled to herself. One day she was going to have a child of her own to spoil, and she was definitely looking forward to that. First, though, Liadan needed a husband. But a boyfriend would likely come before a husband- considering she did not have an arranged marriage to fall back on. "He is such a precious child," she commented. "This will be beneficial practice for you, Xavier. You'll already know what to do when you have children."