During all the chaos that had erupted because of moving through a literal timeline, Asteria had almost forgotten how close her mother's birthday had been. The 24th of December.

It was weird how both of their birthdays lined up with some festival or special days. Isabella's with Christmas Eve, and Ria's with Valentine's. People said it was some special bond they had, which was the most stupid thing she had ever heard.

But yeah, it was Isabella's birthday! And Ria loved to surprise her.

So when she asked her to apparate the two to a certain address, Isabella Diggory had no idea where her daughter had brought her.

"Wow.. What is this, a cafe or something?" Isabella asked, looking at the cottage. "Oh wait, Minnie told you this address, didn't she? Is this her house?" She asked, her tone laced with a hint of excitement.

"Yeah. Something like that." Ria mumbled, and started walking towards the house. But as they neared the house, they could smell a certain scent.. A rather familiar one. Ria's mind tensed.

I'm doing the right thing, right? She asked the voice in her head. But it didn't answer.

It hadn't spoken since she had come here, but then again.. it had only been some days.

Her mother often mentioned how her father's; William Diggory's love for baking had been passed on to his two children. And the smell that surrounded the house was the same that surrounded her mother's kitchen. Ria hoped that she hadn't picked on the hint just yet.

Because if there was one thing she knew about her mother, it was that she hated confrontation.

"Oh Merlin.." Her mother's nervous chuckle broke her train of thoughts. "Looks like my senses are just going mad. You don't find that smell familiar, do you?" She asked.

Asteria gave her a hesitant smile, before looking into her bag as a way to avoid the question.

Isabella's smile slightly disappeared. "Do you?"

Ria anxiously looked at her mother. "Do you think they'll like blueberry muffins?"

Isabella stopped walking. "Oh, no no no. No. No. This was a bad idea.. For Godric's sake, Ria!"

"Hey, hey! Mum. It's gonna be fine." Asteria said, preventing her from walking away. "He'll understand. He's your brother."

"Yeah.. Yeah, he'll understand. He's my brother." She repeated those words. Her nervous expressions didn't change, but then her eyes widened in realisation. "No, jeez, no! He'll not! Let's just— Let's just go back, please."

"No, no, we can't!" Ria exclaimed, letting go of her arm. "It's your birthday, it's Christmas Eve and you're going to spend it with your family." She said as she walked towards the door and knocked on it gently.

"God, you really are a nervous wreck, aren't you?" Ria chuckled sarcastically. "No worries, Mum. It'll be just fine, yeah?" Ria tried to comfort her, but a whoosh sound came from behind her.

Ria bit the inside of her cheek, hoping it wasn't what she had expected. And when she turned around to look at her mother, it was just what she had expected.

Her mother had apparated away. She had left her daughter stranded in front of her brother's house.

"Oh, for God's sake!" Asteria hissed in annoyance.

And at that instant, the front door opened. A tall boy with fluffy brown hair stood at the doorway. His grey eyes squinted slightly, as if trying to recognise the little girl's face.

"Hello?" He asked.

Ria held her breath for a while. "Hi." She blurted out. "Uh.. Um— Girl Scout Cookies? I mean— Muffins?" She asked.

"Girl Scout?" He asked, confused.

"It's.. Christmas!" Ria answered, her tone of false ecstasy as she tried to remember who the boy was. She had definitely seen him before.

"I'm sorry, but I've never seen Girl Scouts here.." He mumbled.

Ria nodded slowly. "Oh.. Oh, then I must've walked quite a distance now. I should— I should really go." She said, walking backwards. "Have a great Christmas, Cedric!"

You don't know his name, you idiot!

"Hey, wait! How do you know my name?"

At the very next moment, Isabella apparated back in front of the house. Ria sighed in relief. "Oh, thank God! Do you know how much you stressed me out?"

"Who is it, Ced?" A deeper voice said; a man walked out of the house to stand right behind him. But his voice seemed to betray him the moment he set his eyes on Isabella.

Almost instantly, Ria's brain rang a bell of familiarity. She had seen them before. They had been with her for her entire childhood! All this time, she knew they were familiar.. she just didn't know they were her uncle and cousin!

"Bella?" Amos left a whisper of disbelief, face scrunched in despair at her sight.

It was as if all the fear in Isabella's heart had suddenly disappeared. "Hey, brother.." She said, as she took some steps closer, realising just how much she had missed him.

And after a moment of silence, Amos chuckled in disbelief as he took his sister into a tight hug.

"Aww.." Isabella cooed, ruffling his hair. "Look at you.. crying for me and everything."

"It's been so long." He emphasised as he let go and looked at her. "You go missing for so many fu—" He held his tongue back in front of the children "so many years and all you do after finally showing up is make fun of me?" He smacked her head.

"Ouch!" Isabella exclaimed, smacking his head back. "I'm sorry for that! I'll explain!"

Amos smacked her arm. "You better! Also, you did not deserve to smack me back and— and—" He said, dodging her arm as she tried to hit him back. "You're not hitting me again."

"That's not fair!"

"That is completely fair!"

And while their emotional reunion continued, Ria poked Cedric's arm, causing him to jump in surprise. She chuckled. "Hello again, Cedric."

"What was all that drama with the Girl Scouts?" He asked with a chuckle.

"Well- I couldn't help it! Mum chickened out at the last moment.. What was I supposed to say? 'Hey, I'm your cousin that disappeared some years ago. My Mum was here with me but she ran away because of her nervousness. Anyway, Merry Christmas!'" She faked a chuckle.

"Right.." Cedric shook his head. "Well then, hello to you too, Asteria." He said.

Ria scrunched her nose in slight disgust. "I can't recall the last time you used my full name. God, we're cousins, Ced!"

He looked at her. "I'm honestly surprised you still remember me. You were so young." He said.

"Come on, now. I wasn't that young. I do remember!" She answered cleverly. "I do remember how you hit me with your toy once, making me cry. And then you started crying too because you couldn't get me to quiet down." She added with a sly smile.

Cedric's eyes widened in slight embarrassment. "For Lord's sake, Ria, weren't you like— one?"

Ria shrugged, choosing not to say the fact that her mother had told her about that incident just this morning. "Like I said, I do remember." She grinned at him.

Cedric's lips curled up into a smile too. "Well, then you might also remember how you cried after accidentally sitting on your pet cocoon and crushing it out of existence."

Ria's mouth fell open. "That's not true, is it? You made it up!" She said, offended.

Cedric failed to hide his smile as he shrugged. "Ask your Mum, why don't you?"

Before Asteria could open her mouth, her mother had appeared in front of them and taken Cedric into a tight hug. His sly smile had transformed into a warm one as he hugged his beloved aunt back.

"You've grown up, Ced!" She said in awe as she pinched his cheeks. "I've missed you so much.."

And though Cedric would've been annoyed at this action, he seemed to love it coming from her. "I missed you too, Aunt Issy." Isabella grinned wider at the fact that he still called her Issy.

As Amos looked at his little niece after such a long time, his smile widened. Years had gone by, he wanted to take his dear little niece in a tight hug, but..

"Ria.." He sighed, crouching in front of her, while she stared at the teary-eyed man. "I— uh— I don't really know if you recognise me. You probably won't remember me—"

"No, I do!" Ria answered with a small smile, taking him by surprise.

"We— We used to play together!" Asteria answered, her memories about him a bit clearer now. "I do remember you! You and Ced— and Aunt Kora! Where is she?"

Her innocent, clueless smile did not remain for long, as she saw the other three get uneasy.

"I— I'm guessing, you don't completely remember that night." said Cedric with a soft smile.

Ria suddenly started feeling guilty. She could feel a shiver of cold run down her skin, but she didn't know if it was the cold weather or the reminiscence of a loved one.

"I think— I think we should go inside.." Isabella broke the tension. "It's getting colder."

All three silently agreed, proceeding inside as Amos and Ria trailed behind the other two. He put a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We're glad you're back, Ria." said Amos, showing no bitterness or sorrow from the fact that Ria did not remember his wife's death.

Ria forced a smile, still a bit guilty. "Thank you, Uncle."

"How did this happen, Bella?" asked Amos, as soon as they settled in the house. His voice was still weary from disbelief. "Where had you two gone?"

"It was— uh—" Isabella huffed, seeming a bit overwhelmed. "I'll explain everything later, I promise, but can we just.. I don't know.. Can we leave it behind for a while?" she asked genuinely. "Can we just sit, and talk, and— and spend Christmas together? Like the old times?"

Amos quickly wiped a tear away. Anyone could see the joy on that man's face. "Yeah! Yeah, sure! We'd love to! Right, Ced?" Cedric nodded eagerly, still by his aunt's side.

"Just that, you'll have to help me make some more food." He added. "I wasn't prepared for the company."

"And, you're staying here.. for how long, I don't know, and I don't care!" His tone was now rushed, radiating with excitement. "Son, we're in need of some groceries."

Cedric shrugged, indicating he'd bring them, but before he could say it out loud, Isabella interrupted. "I'll go with him, if you want." She suggested. "We'll apparate, it'll be quick."

"Yeah, that's good." Cedric smiled. "Ria, do you wanna join us?"

"I'll— um.." She looked back at her Uncle. "I think I'll stay over and help. Is that okay?" She asked, rather nervously.

A smile adored his lips at her question. Her eyes resemble the sincerity that her father's eyes held. He nodded. "You're always welcome." He said. Isabella couldn't hold back the grin that grew on her face.

She wanted to cry.

Instead, she just sighed. "Ced, why don't you see what groceries your father needs?" she asked. "I need a moment with Ria." He nodded, doing so while Isabella walked towards her daughter.

"I'm sorry for abandoning you like that." She said in all honesty.

Ria nodded with satisfaction. "Normally, I would need something more, but it's your birthday. So, apology accepted."

Her mother chuckled silently. "And thank you." she said, ruffling her hair lovingly. "Thank you for making me do this. I don't know how long it would've taken me to build up the courage."

She shrugged in reply. "Well, that was my birthday present to you."

Isabella's smile widened. "Best birthday present ever."

Their attention averted back when the father-son walked into the living room. "Be back quick and—"

"And no detours." Cedric completed his father's sentence. "Got it."

"Don't worry, Amy. We'll be back in a jiffy." Isabella's words were followed by a laugh from Cedric.

Amos rolled his eyes. "For Merlin's sake, don't start calling me Amy again!" But the two had left the house already. He shook his head in defeat, and then looked over at Ria. "Shall we proceed, then?" She nodded cheerfully, following him into the kitchen.

"Uncle?" She called out, her tone soft. "I'm sorry for bringing up Aunt Kora like that.. I didn't mean to upset you."

Amos dismissed her guilt with a smile. "It's okay, dear. You were very little. I didn't expect you to remember." He sighed. "It's just.. Seeing the both of you was such a pleasant surprise. I don't think anything could upset me for some days now." He chuckled. "By the way, was this your mother's idea?"

"No, it was mine." Ria answered, proudly. "But don't worry, I know about your tradition. That's why I did it."

"Our tradition?" He asked playfully, even though he knew what she was talking about.

"Yeah.. Our family, the Diggorys, have this little tradition.." A smile dawned on his lips. "That two hours before midnight, on the Eve, we would all be present at our house. There would be no guests over during this time. And Grandpa would prepare his traditional cinnamon rolls for everyone. It was a way to celebrate Mum's birthday. Just a birthday celebration.. Mum's time.. not Christmas."

Amos nodded, impressed by his little niece. "Did you do that.. wherever you two were?"

"Yes, we did. Every year." She answered. "That's why I wanted to bring her here."

"That's one way to crash a party. Took that from your Mum?" He asked with a little laugh.

Ria gave him a surprised look. "Mum crashed parties?"

"Oh, yes. Since 1976." He nodded.

His words sparked her curiosity. "What happened in 1976?"

"Bella attended a Christmas Ball she was absolutely not invited to. Three guesses on who helped her?"

"Hmm.." Ria faked thinking. "Your best friend. My Dad. Or her husband?"

The two chuckled at her answer. "Bingo." He said.

Their chuckles died down after a while. And Amos sighed in content as he looked at her. "I don't know if anyone has told you this before.. But—" He said. "You kind of have your father's face.. and his eyes."

"When you were a baby, you looked so much like Isabella. Everyone thought you'd grow up to be her clone." He chuckled.

Ria smiled. "Well.. The place Mum and I were stuck.. we didn't really know anyone. So, you're the first person to tell me this."

"I'm glad." The man nodded.

"Do you miss him?" She asked suddenly. "I mean, he was your best friend. From what I know, you used to spend most of your time with him." Amos looked down at his hands with slight uneasiness. "Now he's far away, and you don't see him.."

"Of course, I do miss him." He replied. "Do you?"

"Yeah." Ria nodded. "Somehow, I miss him more than I should."

Amos tilted his head, as if carefully examining her. "And that's unusual because?"

"Well, first of all, it's been only four years since I've last seen him, I could go see him anytime I want to, really.. and-" Her talk was interrupted when the door opened with a loud bang and laughs.

"Presents!" Isabella exclaimed, lifting the bags in the air.

Amos sighed impatiently. "I told you 'no detours'." He said to Cedric, who just shrugged innocently.

"Aw, come on, Amy. It's Christmas. Don't be a wuss."

"Don't call me Am- Wait, what's with your language?"

At that, Ria couldn't help but say, "Steve Rogers who?"

There was a brief silence from her side, where she expected Cedric to laugh, but all he said was, "Who?"

Ria's smile vanished. "Steve- Steve Rogers. Captain America-" She gasped suddenly.

Most of the stuff I grew up on.. movies, shows, music.. They don't exist yet. She thought.

If I made a joke or two about them.. literally no one would get that reference.

Someone in the future is going to eat a damn bat and lock us in our houses for two bloody years.

If I wrote what is going to happen, lock it in a box and tell the world to open the box in 2021, they would either burn me or think that I'm the second coming.

And as Asteria thought about it all over again, the cultural shock of moving through a timeline finally hit her.

Holy shit.

"Mum.. Mum!" She whispered urgently. Isabella raised a questioning eyebrow. Ria signed her to come closer, and her mother did so.

"What happened? Are you okay—" She gasped too. "Oh my God, did you get your period?"

"What? No." Ria snapped back quickly. "Listen, I have this crazy idea."

"Really?" Isabella whispered, kind of excited. "What?"

"What if.. We just go and tell everyone—"

"Oh! No. Forget about it." She answered, making Ria look at her outrageously.

"But, I didn't even finish!"

"We are not telling people about the future and creating some big conspiracy." Isabella nodded at her surprised face. "Honey, I raised you. And I know the ideas that go through your head would've sounded like a master-plan to the teenage me."

"You.. are.. absolutely wrong. That was not what I was going to say." Ria shook her head, her tone higher than usual. But her mother stared at her, giving her a 'you can't lie to me' look. "But wouldn't it be awesome though?"

"No." Bella shook her head. "It would not."

"But Mum.." she said again, in her gravely serious voice. "Think about the infinite possibilities of the universe that could unravel if-"

"No."

"Aw, man."

After Isabella had let Asteria down by crushing her mind-blowing plans, the only thing that had managed to lift her back up was the delicious meal that her uncle had prepared. And even though that had been enough, he had also taught her the secret recipe to the family's traditional pot of cinnamon rolls.

Obviously, she did not quite catch it in the first go, but she had promised herself to practise it to perfection before she leaves for Hogwarts.

"You know.. Uncle Amos asks you to spend time with your cousin.. And the first thing that comes to your mind is a house tour." Asteria commented as they finally left the house. "You must be fun to hang out with.."

Cedric scoffed jokingly. "Give me a break. I haven't hung out with you in a long time. I don't know what you like. And besides, I don't have any other cousins." He shrugged.

"Aww.." She poked his shoulder. "Did you miss me, Ced?"

"Your annoying self?" He asked. "Nah! Not at all."

Ria smiled pleasantly at the matching energy she received. "You are fun to hang out with.."

But when she felt Cedric's eyes on her, she quickly looked at him and added. "That was not sarcastic, by the way."

"Oh.. Okay." Cedric said in a tone of relief, and the two laughed it off.

"Ria.. If you don't mind me asking." He started. "Er- where were you and Aunt Bella all this time?"

Ria squinted her eyes at him. "Why don't you ask Mum?"

Cedric raised an eyebrow. "You don't know?"

"I just don't know what answer Mum's been preparing to tell." She answered.

And Cedric made a mental note to never tell her any of his secrets.

"You know you're not supposed to say that out loud, right?"

"What? You want me to lie, then?" She chuckled.

Cedric shrugged. "Well, I don't mind, since I know how bad you are at lying, Miss. Girl Scout."

Asteria rolled her eyes. "That was one time, okay? I was nervous."

There was a slight pause, where Cedric waited for the answer. So, Ria decided to test if he can differentiate between her seriousness and sarcasm.

"Alright.. Mum was experimenting with a time-turner, which made us accidentally time travel to 2017. Then in 2021, Minerva McGonagall found us and voilà!" She exclaimed. "We came back!"

Cedric stared at his cousin for a while before shaking his head with a scoff. "Yeah. Right."

Ria shook her head in pity. He can't..

"Anyway! My turn." She blurted. "Was that cocoon story true?"

"Hmm?" Cedric pursed his lips, and Asteria could see him trying to hide his smile.

"Aw! Come on!" She playfully pushed him, making him break into chuckles. "It's your turn to answer!"

"Alright— it's quite a hazy memory, to be honest-" He tried to sneak a peek at her expressions.

"Hey! I'm being serious!" She said, her face slightly red. He laughed.

"But I do— however, remember you crying like something disastrous had happened, every time. And all we had to do was take you outside to see the stars and boom! Little Ria Edwards is back to being a saint!"

"Now that-" said Ria, "is something much more believable."

"I'm pretty sure I remember people calling you 'little star'. It was a nickname for you." Cedric tilted his head as he studied his cousin. "You still like them? The stars?" He asked, his tone genuine.

Ria gave a long pause before nodding to his question. "Yeah.."

In the future, Ria hadn't really met anyone other than her Mum who thought her interest was genuine. When she expressed her love for the stars to people, some ignored it while some thought she just liked the aesthetic. But that wasn't true, obviously.

The stars.. comforted her, for some reason.

"You mean you still stare at them like a deer in headlights?" Cedric quietly asked.

And Ria smacked his arm again, making him laugh. "God, you're such a meanie, couz.."

His laughter faded away. "Couz?"

She nodded. "Couz.. Cousin? Wait— you do have slangs in your time, don't you?" She asked anxiously.

"Merlin, Ria, you're talking like we're ancient or something! Which brings me back to my question. Where were you and— whoa— careful!" Cedric's hand covered her forehead and he stopped her before she could hit the metal hoop in their backyard.

"Jeez! Why is there a pole here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Pole? It's not just a pole!"

Ria groaned. "Ugh, fine. Why is there a pole with a hoop here in the middle of nowhere?"

"Wait." His brain lagged for a moment. "You don't know what this is?" He asked, his tone genuine.

Asteria shook her head innocently. Though it did remind her of a basketball hoop.

"This is a Quidditch hoop." Cedric answered. "Do you at least know what Quidditch is?"

She nodded, reminiscing about the stories her mother had told her. "Well, Mum told me some things about it. But I haven't really seen it—"

"You haven't?!" Cedric exclaimed.

"Well, to be honest, genius," She said sarcastically, "I didn't know I was a witch until four days ago, so yeah! I haven't."

"Okay, tell me. How do you feel about flying.. and potentially falling from heights?" He asked.

She nodded enthusiastically. "Oh, I love it! In fact, I jump from high buildings all the time just to experience the thrill of falling." She answered. "I've injured myself and died like— ten times already."

This time, Cedric recognised her tone. "Okay. I get it. You're a sarcastic child." He ignored the victorious smile she threw at him. "Are you into sports?"

Ria zoned out, thinking for a moment. "I played football for my previous school."

He nodded. "One last question. Are you tired?"

"Not at all."

A smile grew on his face. "Then, I think you're going to love this.."

"At three, yeah? One, two, three!" Ria and Cedric lifted the big, shaky trunk together and began walking towards the backyard.

"Careful." Cedric said, "Don't want you breaking a bone or two."

She rolled her eyes. "I'm not some sensitive princess, okay? Why is this trunk bloody shaking, though?" Ria huffed out.

"Did you think there would be no magic involved in a wizard's game?" He asked as they landed the trunk down. Ria shrugged in a manner of realisation.

"You see? Dad and Aunt Issy loved playing Quidditch a bit too much, just like us." Cedric answered, handing her a broomstick. "So this hoop was Grandma's way of encouraging them. She spent her savings on it. Aunt Issy's friends used to come here and play all the time."

"Well.. did you tell them we were playing?" Ria asked.

"I did tell them.." Cedric started slowly. "I even asked them if they wanted to play. But Dad's doing some Ministry work, and Aunt says she's tired."

Ria's eyebrows knitted in worry. That seems weird. The way Mum talks about Quidditch, I thought she'd come to play with us in a heartbeat.

"Anyway, should we start?" He asked, mounting on his broom, and Ria mimicked his action.

"Let's get you to fly first. So, what you're gonna do now is—"

"Kick off the ground?" Ria asked before Cedric could complete. He raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, kinda easy to figure that part out."

Cedric simply shook his head, unmounting the broom. "No, it's not as easy as it looks. Wait— let me just explain the game first, so we'll know what kind of flying you should be focusing on." She nodded, unmounting the broom too.

"In Quidditch, there are seven main players."

Cedric opened the large trunk. Ria saw three balls; one big in the middle, and the other two identical, chained. "Chasers handle that big ball in the middle; the Quaffle. The Quaffle is like a football, only you carry and throw it, instead of kicking. The Chasers make the goal. Are you with me, or did I lose you?"

"Still with you. Carry on."

"Good." He continued. "Then there's the Keeper, who is obviously the goalkeeper of the game."

"Now, there are Beaters. These two noisy balls are called Bludgers." He said, pointing at the balls in chains.

"And these Bats.. or clubs.. whatever you prefer." He said, lifting one and swinging it lightly. "..are used to hit Bludgers towards the opponent team to distract them and prevent them from scoring. Or in attempts to protect your own team."

"Mum was a Beater, wasn't she?" Ria asked, and he nodded in answer. That explains her anger management and how she doesn't snap that easily.

"And this little ball.." Cedric said with a golden ball in his hand. "It's called the Golden Snitch. The Seekers, like Dad and I, our job is to chase it."

"Chase it?" Asteria asked, wondering if she had heard him correctly.

Cedric smiled, letting the Snitch freely roll on his palm. "Just watch, yeah?" He said, and tiny wings appeared, taking Ria by surprise. And as it flew from his palm, Ria's instinct told her to catch it. But she missed it by an inch or two.

"Ooh.. Close." Her cousin complimented. "You have the potential, though."

Ria grinned, watching the Snitch fly away. "Cool."

Cedric nodded in agreement. "Yeah.. cool. So, Ria.. Seven players in a team. Three Chasers, Two Beaters, A Keeper and a Seeker. Ten points for a goal. And the game ends when the Snitch is caught. It carries a hundred and fifty points."

Hmm.. I could play Keeper. Ria thought. All I have to do is learn how to fly properly.

"So.. Let's start your lessons!" Cedric exclaimed cheerily.

"Now?" She asked with a chuckle of disbelief.

"Yeah! If you're not tired or sleepy?" He asked softly.

"Okay, sure.." She chuckled in ecstasy.

Cedric was definitely not the type of snobby or underwhelming cousin she had expected.

"Well, I've only ever played one position in football.. So, how does being a Keeper sound?" asked Ria.

He shrugged, bending down to pick up the Quaffle. "Depends on how good you are—" He threw the Quaffle, and Ria dived after it.

"How did I do?" She asked, half-lying on the ground with the Quaffle in her hand.

Cedric nodded, impressed. "Better than I expected." He took the Quaffle from her and offered her a helping hand. "Now let's see if you can catch it, thirty feet in the air."

"Dear Lord. That sounds terrifying"

"I thought you loved flying, Ria."

She just rolled her eyes, mounting on her broom again. "What now?" she looked at Cedric.

But he was already some feet in the air. "I thought you knew!"

Ria stared at him in disbelief. "You're annoying, you know that?" He gave her a devilish laugh in response.

Somehow, she kicked off the ground and began hovering some inches above the ground. "Oh look, you're almost there!" He taunted her. And she tried to ignore him.

Again, somehow, with her instinct or whatever, her height from the ground began increasing. Her heart was racing with a mixture of thrill and anxiety.

"Did you see that?" She said to her cousin when she matched his height. Her squeaky voice made Cedric purse his lips in an attempt to not laugh.

"That's great, Ria!" He said, nodding generously. "You know.. I really.. really don't want you to fall, but.."

Asteria gave him a threatening look. Not a pun, please, not a pun.

"But I hope you break a leg, couz."

"For Lord's sake, Ced!"

"And then she got really mad and almost slipped off her broom." Cedric finished the story, making Isabella and Amos laugh.

They had been sitting around having breakfast when Cedric had decided to tell the tale of Asteria's Great First Flight. And it was a tale of pure amusement for the majority around the table.

Though Ria did not laugh. "First of all. How dare you laugh? I could've died—"

"Shh!" Her Mum snapped sharply. "Don't say things like that."

"You do know I'm not serious, right?" Ria asked.

Isabella nodded quickly, looking down at her breakfast. "Still.. You know, I don't like it."

"Okay. I almost fell off my broom. And this idiot—" she pointed her fork towards Cedric, who was red in the face from laughing. "just kept laughing shamelessly. Not to mention you used that phrase completely wrong."

He raised his hands in the air, ridiculed. "I said, 'I really hope you break a leg', as in I hope you get selected in your Quidditch team. What was wrong with that?"

"First of all—" Ria said quickly. "'Break a leg', is mostly used in theatres, as to say good luck. Or in drama auditions, so when an auditionee 'breaks a leg', they end up in a 'cast'."

"Don't you think you're seriously underestimating the range and versatility of 'break a leg'—"

"Oh, dear Helga- enough now! Focus on your breakfasts, please." Amos said with a hearty chuckle. "God, I hope we were not this noisy as children."

"We probably were.. Amy."

Amos sighed loudly. "Not this again.."

Though a loud thud outside the door made Isabella jump in her seat. Amos quickly kept an assuring hand on her shoulder. "Just the mail." He said, getting up from his chair and walking away to get it.

Bella hadn't realised that her hand had flown towards the wand in her pocket. She slowly removed it. "What's the mail so loud for?" She muttered under her breath.

"The letter's for you." said Amos, handing it to his sister, while giving the small package to Cedric.

"Oh, they put my name?" asked Cedric, slightly confused. "I told them twice to specifically not do that." He chuckled, passing the parcel to Ria.

She raised a questioning eyebrow. "What? It's for you!" He said.

She exchanged a glance with her mother before taking the parcel. Without another word, Cedric just turned back to his breakfast. Ria unwrapped the parcel, and her jaw dropped in amazement. She held up a copy of 'A Journey through Divination and Astronomy' and 'Quidditch through the Ages' each. Isabella looked at Cedric with a small smile, who just continued to eat.

"Ced!" Ria exclaimed, her voice a pitch higher because of happiness. "You didn't have to—"

"Ria, don't say that crap to me." He chuckled.

"No, I'm serious." said Ria, even though she had a wide grin on her face.

"Oh, Shut up! It's a gift." He said. "Merry Christmas."

"Thank you." She said in all honesty, to which he replied with a smile. "I love them."

And while she showed the gift to her mother, Amos cleared his throat to get Cedric's attention. "I don't recall you asking me for any money.." He said silently.

"I didn't." Cedric replied back. "I spent some of my own savings."

"Weren't you saving them for a new broomstick?"

He didn't reply. Instead, he just kept glancing at Isabella. "Uhm— Aunt got me a new broom yesterday, so.."

"I thought we agreed to keep this a secret."

"You did?" Amos looked at Bella. She shrugged in response, making him sigh. "Bella, you just got back here some days ago—"

"Yes, I bought a broom for my nephew, Amy.." said Isabella, and he sighed in defeat at that name. There was no point in trying to convince her. "And that's between us. You don't have a say in it." She shared a look with Cedric.

"Speaking of that.." He said, placing his fork down. "Can I try it out now? Please? It's a Starsweeper XXI! The latest one!"

Amos gave Isabella a flabbergasted look. "Well, I really wanted to go for the Nimbus 2000, but the last one was already booked-"

"Bella!" He exclaimed. "It doesn't matter! Nimbus and Starsweepers?! Both are expensive!"

"Shush, you, party pooper!" She snapped at his brother and turned back to Cedric. "Go try it out."

He hurriedly left his seat. "Ria?" She did the same, and the two rushed out of the room.

"Careful!" Amos yelled. "You should really stop spoiling him.." He said to her.

"Come on, brother.. I've missed out on most of his childhood." said Bella. "That's the least I can do."

"Then why didn't you return?" He asked sincerely.

She shook her head with a sigh. "I told you, I couldn't return—"

"Before that accident, Bella." Amos cut her off. And Isabella just stared at him in question. "You didn't come to us.. You didn't even show up to Mum and Dad's funeral.." His voice quivered at the end, but he cleared his throat quickly.

She shook her head. "I told you, Amos. I was in a very bad place. I couldn't have handled it."

"I know, that night took a toll on you, and it would have on anyone." He said, "But you didn't need to run away."

"We would've been there for you. I would've been there for you." said Amos, and he meant every word.

There was a small pause, and then Isabella chuckled in disbelief at the tears forming in her eyes. "So.. you're not mad about yesterday's conversation anymore?" She meant for the question to come as rhetoric, but it came out in a tone of genuine curiosity. "I thought you were firm with your opinion of me being very wrong and unfair." She needed to know the answer.

Amos breathed out, rubbing his eyes, trying to think rationally for a moment. "I thought about it all night; about what you said.."

"And I still don't completely agree with what you're doing." He answered.

Isabella slowly wiped her tears away and nodded, her eyes on the ground. "Understandable."

Amos smiled softly. He walked towards her and kept a comforting hand on her shoulder, which made her look up. "But you are still my little sister." Isabella's lips curled up in a smile. "And I'm not missing out on spending time with you and my niece anymore."

She nodded joyfully. "Thank you.."

"I'm here, yeah?"

Those words brought back an unexplainable feeling inside her. She could not get her tears to stop. "Oh, Merlin, don't look at me.." She said, hiding her face in her hands. "Pathetic.."

"Come here, you." He cooed, taking her into a tight hug. "It's okay.. We're gonna get through this together." She nodded into his shoulder.

And the girl playing outside with her cousin did not find out for long that she had healed a part of her mother's scarred life by giving her that birthday gift.

───── ⋆⋅☆⋅⋆ ─────

[word count: 5764]

a/n: yeah, I'll post twice a week. once a week is too long