Taxis.
I hated them. So dirty, I cant even imagine how many people have been in just one.
And still, I'm in one.
"Right here." I said as we pulled next to a sidewalk. I dug in my purse for €16.
I opened the car door stepping on to the pavement.
"Ahem." Said the driver. He rolled down his window. I leaned over into it, dropping the cash on the seat rolling my eyes.
"ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑜𝑙𝑑?" he asked
"𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑟𝑡𝑦-𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟." I joked. He chuckled.
"𝑖𝑓 𝑖𝑚 𝑑𝑟𝑜𝑝𝑝𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎 𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑜𝑟 𝑎𝑡 𝑎 𝑐𝑙𝑢𝑏, 𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑜𝑢𝑛𝑑." he said staring at the sign behind me.
"𝑖𝑚 𝑎𝑓𝑟𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡𝑠 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑙𝑒𝑔𝑎𝑙, 𝑠𝑖𝑟." I stared back blocking his view. He pulled the lever as the car went backwards.
"𝑁𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑡!" I waved to the car as it drove away.
I turned around walking to the building. Knocking on it four times.
"How cold is it today?!" Asked the old lady from inside.
"Willow! Just let me in!" I shouted so she could hear.
This was one of France's biggest wizardry headquarters. You knock four times, and if you answer their questions how they want it. They let you in. If you don't, you enter a muggle club. As if nothing ever happened.
The door opened as a old lady stood there.
"I only know it's you when you answer like that!" She stated.
"Where is he?"
"Reporter room. Are you sure you want to go in there like that?" She asked looking me up and down. "You're to young to be answering those questions."
I ignored her.
"Clouds in books." I said to the bookshelf. The shelf opened revealing a door. "Why's he in there anyway?" I asked.
"Something on a London emergency?" She answered unsure.
I took a deep breath opening the door.
Flashes immediately in my face. I looked next to me, not less that ten feet away stood my brother. He was talking on a stand.
"Miss Rholou! Miss Rholou!" Was shouted at me repeatedly. I walked to my brother linking our arms together.
I tapped the microphone. "Hello?"
Bunches of voices were happening all at once.
"One at a time please!" I begged.
"Bonjour Madame, we were asking your brother here-"
"Mr.Rholou, that's what you will refer to him as." I stated.
"Yes madame. Mr.Rholou here was saying he knows nothing on the recent jewelry Mr. Krum was wearing."
"Krum? I'm sorry? Are we having a whole report meeting that's not even about us?!"
" No Madame, The jewelry was an heirloom of your family heirloom to be exact."
"We know nothing of the sort. Next question?"
The voices all at once again.
"𝑇ℎ𝑖𝑠 𝑖𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑖𝑟𝑠𝑡 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑖𝑛 𝑎 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒. 𝑊𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑝𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑎𝑘 𝑜𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑎𝑐𝑡, 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 not returned to London in years?" asked a woman. Her French sounded choppy, as though she never spoke it.
"𝑊𝑒 𝑎𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑖𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒𝑑 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑚𝑖𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑜𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑊𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑚𝑦 𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑏𝑟𝑜𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑎𝑚𝑎𝑧𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑗𝑜𝑏𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑢𝑔𝑔𝑙𝑒 𝑤𝑜𝑟𝑙𝑑, 𝑖 𝑑𝑜 𝑛𝑜𝑡 𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑘 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑜𝑝𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛."
She sighed. "𝑌𝑒𝑠. 𝐵𝑢𝑡 𝑎𝑟𝑒𝑛𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑟𝑖𝑒𝑛𝑑𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒?!"
"Next question?!" I hurried.
"𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑠𝑒 𝑚𝑎𝑑𝑎𝑚𝑒, 𝑤ℎ𝑒𝑛 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐿𝑜𝑛𝑑𝑜𝑛 𝑠𝑒𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑔𝑎𝑖𝑛?!"
"Who do you work for?" I asked annoyed. She spoke like she was London herself.
". . .The DP."
"I'm sorry, I don't know what that is."
She looked around. "The Daily Prophet."
The camera flashes went to the reporter.
My brother let out a sigh realizing what I've just done.
The daily Prophet. They lie 24/7 and twist your words. I've just told them about my life, London hasn't heard from me in years. They don't even cover France wizard drama, unless it's just for us.
❦
-
"What did you do?!" Asked my mother opening the front doors to the house.
"It's not her fault." Said Axel walking in.
My mother hugged me.
"𝐷𝑖𝑛𝑛𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑔𝑜𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑜 𝑏𝑒 𝑙𝑎𝑡𝑒, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑓𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑖𝑠 𝑐𝑜𝑚𝑚𝑖𝑛𝑔."
Me and Ax turned around to see her closing the doors. She said it like it was normal.
"Pére? You invited Pére?!" I asked.
Ax was practically jumping.
I couldn't blame him. My mother went into the kitchen and we followed.
Axel and I share the same dad. Ax is 17, meaning when he was two his mother passed. At that time my mother was dating our father. But my mom was 17 and my dad was 21. They took care of Ax together for a whole year, then had me.
People get it confused all the time.
What I still don't understand is why he is coming back. He had left my mother barely a two years ago, leaving her with two kids, one not even being her's.
"I don't want Pére here." I stated.
"I do!" Said Axel.
"I know you do, hun." Said my mom kissing his forehead.
"𝑖𝑡 𝑤𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝑏𝑒 𝑓𝑖𝑛𝑒" She aimed to me.
"So! Shall we get ready!?" Said my mother bringing up the mood.
"bien!" Said my brother rushing up stairs.
My mother followed him up. "𝐶𝑙𝑒𝑎𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑎𝑡ℎ𝑟𝑜𝑜𝑚, 𝐴𝑥𝑒𝑙!"
"Mom?"
She looked at me smiling.
"Never mind." I'm smiled back. I walked up the stairs past her.
