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AUGUST1991 SWEETWATER RESIDENCE, KINGSTON UPON HULL
"THOSE FUCKING OWLS!"
Brown hair tumbled back onto her face after releasing a heavy breath, the shrill exclamation sounding through the Sweetwater Residence had been the last straw she needed that dull August morning to escape sleeps tight clutches.
Seemingly awake the fifteen-year-old continued sinking into the mattress for further comfort not at all in the mood to start her morning with the brewing storm downstairs.
The brewing storm referred to the nerve-wracked dark brown-haired woman pacing through the house at the early hours of the morning, muttering about the owls that delivered the residents' letters.
Cassia Sweetwater did not like owls. She thought them to be slightly creepy with their beady eyes and exorcist-style display of flexibility when turning their heads.
"─ they couldn't have just sent one of those demons, could they?" and "─ three at that!" travelled its way up to the second floor of the residence.
Closing her eyes, Lauren heaved another deep breath before slowly exhaling it through her mouth, repeating the motion until the prominent voice of her mother was nothing more than empty background noise. As her breaths continued flattening and the mattress below seemed to soften the gentle nudge of soft fur in the face and a drawn-out meow opened her eyes, blinking.
"Mornin' Mal," stifling a yawn she gave the sand-coloured cat a soft pet on the head.
Throwing her hands above her head the fifteen-year-old stretched while sitting up on her bed. Her eyes started roaming around the room, resting on the open suitcase as a small smile stretched her lips.
In a swift motion the blanket folded over and Maleficent let out a startled mewl, jumping down the bed.
Lauren started to aimlessly throw on some jeans and a sweater while Maleficent knocked her head against her legs, almost making the girl fall over when she was putting on her pants. Groaning in frustration at the sand-coloured cat, she was quick to open the door to let Maleficent out ─ an opportunity that the cat took up almost instantly. Rolling out her neck Lauren stretched one last time before taking her wand from her bedside table and sliding down the stair railing, startling her mother.
"Lauren!" Cassia feverishly exclaimed, a hand on her chest as she watched her daughter nonchalantly continue her way towards the kitchen. "How often do I have to tell you 'No sliding down the railing!' until you realise you could get hurt!"
"Probably once she actually gets hurt!" said a male voice from the direction of the kitchen.
Max Sweetwater stood in the doorway facing the two with a copy of the Daily Prophet in his hands, a small section in the front capturing Lauren's attention.
"It's finally released?" Lauren voiced, taking the newspaper from her father's hands as she fumbled to the page that displayed the new Nimbus two thousand in all its glory. Lauren's eyes sparkled as she watched the enchanted advertisement for the broomstick. It took all of her last strings of sanity not to eagerly ask her parents to buy it for her, she knew it would be in vain and in turn only dull her spirit, not to mention turn into a heated argument with her mother about her concerns about the girl playing for the Slytherin Quidditch team. It never ended well when Lauren brought up anything that could even remotely relate to the sport. So, all she could do in that moment was cherish it by staring at her dream in an advertisement in the newspaper.
Still gaping at the advertisement, Lauren started her way into the dining room, sitting down on her chair and reading through the broom's description.
"I'll never understand what's so interesting about a piece of wood," Lauren heard her mother say but for her own sanity decided to ignore her words.
"Cassia, please," her father said, his tone calm. "it's the same as a car, it's just metal but formed in the right way its great for traveling. And you surely wouldn't mind it if it looks good too!"
Lauren looked up from the broom to look at her father with a broad smile. It was rare that Maxwell Sweetwater sided with his daughter when it came to anything that could endanger her but the fact that he purposefully said something against her mother's open words of distaste on the topic was enough for her to know that he trusted her enough to know her own limits ─ and that should be the least, seeing as she was already soaring through the air on her Cleansweep six for two years.
Before Cassia could form a reply towards her husband's words, two seventeen-year-old boys came crashing through the doorway yelling. "Good morning, people!"
"Morning to you two rascals, too!" Maxwell chuckled, taking in their appearance.
Theodore Sweetwater, the first half of the chaotic twins, was dressed in a pair of pants and an inside-out and amiss put on long-sleeved shirt, not to mention the two different put-on socks.
Quentin Sweetwater, the second half of the chaotic twins had done better in dressing himself but seemed to have forgotten about one or two of Cassia's curlers in his hair.
"Are those mine?" questioned Cassia as she was plucking out the missed curlers out of Quentin's hair.
"How else do you think I achieve these voluminous locks, my beauty is hard but honest work, Mom!" Quentin retorted, sitting down on his chair, and taking a pre-made toasted bread with ham and hard-boiled egg.
"Well at least Quen knows how to put on a shirt, same can't be said for Theo!" Lauren voiced, sticking out her tongue at her brother's glare before biting into her own ham and egg bread.
Her bread fell onto her plate as she groaned in disgust when her brother started undressing at the table. "Oh, come on, that's gross!"
"Theodore Gabriel Sweetwater! We do not undress at the dinner table!" their mother screamed as she watched her son put his shirt on again, this time correct.
"Sorry, Mom!" Theodore laughed while avoiding a hit to the head, instead helping himself to breakfast and enjoying the disgusted looks on his sibling's faces. "Why do you look so disgusted, we have the same body."
"Don't talk with your mouth full!"
"Sorry, Mom!"
"It's disgusting to be related to you!" Quentin said, ignoring the glare his twin shot him.
Lauren laughed at their bickering, watching in amusement as Theodore took the honey jar into his hands but before he could smear some of it onto his brother's face Cassia plucked it out of his hands and hit him on the head.
"Make sure to write down anything you guys need other than the new schoolbooks, I don't want a repeat of last year!" Cassia voiced as she send her three children a warning glance as she sat down next to her husband.
Replying nothing the Sweetwater children instead focused on eating their breakfast rather than dwelling on their mother's words, knowing that a repeat of last year was solely in Cassia Sweetwater's hands and not in theirs ─ it had been her own fault last year anyway.
Not that it mattered since Lauren was still stuck day-dreaming about soaring through the air with a new Nimbus two thousand.
