Mischief Managed | 𝘚𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘶𝘴 𝘉𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘬

Chapter 51

After a long walk, the Potters made their way back home, tired from the Quidditch game. James kept saying that he was hungry again and continued to complain about how they had to walk all the way back to the Potter Manor on foot.

     "Look!" Jenna suddenly cried out once they finally arrived, pointing excitedly at their house's doorstep where two letters lay.

     "It's our Hogwarts letters!" James exclaimed, and so the twins ran forward to pick them up.

     "They've arrived early this year. I wasn't expecting them for another week," Mrs. Potter acknowledged as her husband walked forward to pick up that day's copy of the Daily Prophet which was sent to them by owl delivery every morning.

     As soon as they walked into their house, James and Jenna hurriedly opened their Hogwarts letters to see what books they needed for their second year of school. But Jenna seemed to be searching the envelope hopefully for something else as well.

     "When can we go to Hogsmeade?" Jenna sighed as she didn't find any form inside it.

     "You can go once you start third year," said Mrs. Potter, and Jenna groaned in disappointment.

     "I really wanna go," she said. "There are tons of places in the village that I want to visit. I'm sure it would be really fun."

     "It will be fun. Trust me." Mrs. Potter smiled, running a hand through Jenna's blue hair.

     "Merlin's beard..." They turned around as they heard Mr. Potter mutter under his breath while he was looking at the first page of the Daily Prophet with a worried frown.

     "What is it, Dad?" James mused, looking at his direction curiously.

     "Kids, why don't you go up and change your clothes?" said Mrs. Potter as she threw a quick glance at her husband knowingly.

     James and Jenna didn't move at first, but at last they nodded unsurely before leaving their parents alone in the living room. Although, just as they were about to go upstairs, James grabbed Jenna's wrist to hold her back.

    "What?" Jenna questioned.

     "Shh," James said in a quiet tone, dragging Jenna behind the wall to hide. "I want to hear what they're saying."

     "Why —"

     "I said shhh!"

     "Don't shush me!"

     "Then don't give me a reason to shush you!"

     "You —" Jenna started irritably, but she fell quiet as she heard their parents talking.

     "It's the dark mark again, isn't it?" They heard their mother say.

      "Yes," said Mr. Potter, his voice dripping with distress. "It was appeared above a Muggle house last night. The whole family was found dead. Aurors had to go there before the Muggle police arrived, so they could vanish the Dark Mark. They had two kids."

     "Poor people..." Mrs. Potter muttered in despair. "They don't deserve this."

     "No one does... Maybe we should go to the Ministry now. To see if there's anything we can do."

     "But we promised the kids we would spend the whole day with them," Mrs. Potter argued. "They spend too much time alone at home now that we're gone almost every day because of everything that's going on. They need their parents."

     "You're right. You're right." Mr. Potter sighed, running a hand over his forehead.

     "I just wish they wouldn't have to grow up in war," said Mrs. Potter after a long pause. "Because God knows what the future holds for each of us."

     "It's okay," Mr. Potter whispered, placing a little kiss on top of his wife's head. "We'll protect them to the day we die."

***

James and Jenna didn't speak of the things they had heard from their parents that day, deciding that it was for the best to remain in denial and act like nothing had happened.

     But they weren't stupid, no matter how much their parents tried to keep them away from the news of the war or the Dark Lord. They could tell that he was growing stronger everyday, and the number of his followers was growing.

     Although despite everything that was going on in the Wizarding world at the pressure they were going through at work, Euphemia and Fleamont Potter tried to put on a happy face, for the sake of their children.

     The next week, on their day off from work, they decided to pay a visit to Diagon Alley to buy the new books that James and Jenna's new classes required.

     "Can we Apparate there?" James asked his father hopefully, his smile wide with excitement.

      "Well..." Mr. Potter started thoughtfully, scratching his chin. "Sure. It won't hurt, I guess."

     "Fleamont!" Mrs. Potter scolded him, with the Floo Powder's bowl in her hand. "It's dangerous! They're only twelve!"

     "Oh, come on, Mum!" James pleaded desperately. "It's side-Apparation! People my age do it all the time with their parents' help!"

     "All right. Name one person in your year who has Apparated before," said Mrs. Potter, placing her free hand on her hip as the other held onto the old blue bowl.

     "Sirius swore he'd done it once!" said James, obviously lying.

     "That's still a no," Mrs. Potter said firmly before handing the bowl to Mr. Potter so he could take a fistful of the powder. "You go first, Fleamont."

     After Mr. Potter vanished through the green flames of their fire-place, Jenna went next and then James, Mrs. Potter arriving at Diagon Alley last.

     They paid a visit to their vault at Gringotts to get some money. After buying all the books they needed, along with new quills and ink, Mr. Potter suggested that they should go for some ice cream at Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour.

     "Oh look, Mia! They've added a new flavor!" Mr. Potter said enthusiastically, walking up to the shop.

     Mrs. Potter shook her head at him with a smile, before following him along with James and Jenna. The four of them sat down at one of the tables set outside the shop after giving the order, eating their ice cream.

     "Why do they always serve cake at weddings?" said Mr. Potter, almost done with his dessert. "They should serve ice cream. It's way better."

     "It amazes me how you haven't aged mentally since you were seven, Fleamont," said Mrs. Potter, and the twins sniggered at their usual bickering.

     "Hey, James," Jenna suddenly said, looking at the other side of the alley, "isn't that Peter with his mum?"

     James looked over, his grin widening at his friend's sight. "Oh, yeah! I'll better go and say hi."

     With a broad smile, James quickly got off his seat and ran out of the shop to greet his school friend whom he had missed so much over the summer.

     Once he was gone, Mr. Potter threw a glance at the remaining ice cream inside James's cup, grinning.

    "Don't even think about it, Fleamont," said Mrs. Potter, knowing her husband all too well.

     "I didn't do anything!" Mr. Potter said defensively. Jenna and her mother shared a knowing smile, holding back their giggles.