⬩My Fire⬩Lorenzo Berkshire x Reader

17 years later

"Regulus, if you don't hurry up," I called out, my voice tinged with the familiar urgency of a school morning. "You'll miss the train!" I stood at the base of the stairs, my arms crossed as I watched my eleven-year-old son scramble about in a panicked search of his room to find his cat. His strikingly bright e/c eyes mirrored mine, but the untamed mess of chestnut hair unmistakably belonged to Lorenzo.

"But Mom, I can't find Sunny!" Regulus's voice rang out, thin with the desperation only a child as he ripped his pillows off of his bed

"Dad's already got her," Isadora's voice interrupted, disinterested, as she moved past without lifting her eyes from the book gripped in her hands. The picture of adolescent nonchalance, she bounded down the stairs two at a time, her unruly curls corralled into a loose ponytail.

Regulus emerged at last, face flushed, pulling his trunk behind him. I gave him an encouraging motion down the stairs. Amelia stood in the foyer, texting with a teenager on a mission. Amelia, now seventeen, had grown into such a strong young woman, full of Slytherin ambition, completely focused as the quidditch captain and head girl. Her closeness with Antonio, Delphini, and Teddy was something to behold, even as they. Now, she spent her time with Tyler Zabini—true to his lineage as Pansy and Blaise's kid—and Kate Nott, Lauryn and Theodore's determined daughter.

Isadora, full name Isadora Lyra, in her third year, was a Ravenclaw through and through, absorbed as always in the written word. Her circle included Willow Narcissa Riddle, and of course the energetic James Sirius Potter and enigmatic Quinton Longbottom.

Our dear Regulus, unfazed by his entrance into Hogwarts, had quickly made friends with Opal Riddle (the spirited daughter of Mattheo and Daphne), Scorpius Malfoy, and Rose Weasley. How soon they all would be at Hogwarts together.

Lorenzo appeared, a light in his eyes as he took the book from Isadora's hands. "Watch where you're going, Izzy. You nearly ran into a pole."

"Sorry, Dad," she replied, nibbling her lower lip knowing he has said this multiple times to her

"Ready to go?" I asked them, a smile in my voice as I took in the flurry of our bustling house.

We headed towards the car, an entourage of excited children and packed trunks. After what seemed like no time at all, we found ourselves at the train station. Isadora pushed Amelia's cart while her older sister sat perched on the front. Lorenzo, laughing, went with the two of them as I walked at a slower pace beside Regulus. "Breathe, Reg," I reassured him, my voice steady against his growing anxiety. "You are going to do amazing at school."

"What if I am not sorted into Slytherin?" he asked, the worry spilling out in a rush as he tugged a little harder on his trunk.

"I don't care what house you get sorted in, as long as you are true to yourself," I replied, my hand finding his shoulder as I pointed to his heart with my other. By now we had caught up with Lorenzo and the girls. Without a pause, the girls ran through the wall, Isadora's laughter mingling with Amelia's cheer.

I followed them closely, just in time to hear Amelia scream in delight before sprinting into Kate's arms. Magic seemed to spark and move through the air around us, a living thing. I rubbed my ear as their hug collided with an audible thump.

"They act like they didn't see each other last week," said Theodore, appearing with a tap on Lorenzo's back.

Amelia hugged Lorenzo and me, winding herself tightly around us both. "I'll make sure they are safe at school. I will call you when we get there. Can Kate and I go to Tyler?"

"Go on," Lorenzo nodded, the pride in his voice.

In an instant, Amelia and Kate had grabbed their trunks and were off like a shot, long hair flowing behind them.

"Mommy, why can't I go to Hogwarts!" Briana begged, her high-pitched tone a mixture of complaint and longing as she tugged on Lauryn's pant leg. Lauryn and Theodore's youngest was a handful, always wanting to keep up with the older kids.

"Because you're eight," explained Simon, ever the sensible one, before Delphini bounced into view.

Lauryn pulled a face at him, and I smiled at the reminder that Simon (who was in his second year now) was their adopted son. Theodore knelt down to talk with him, one hand ruffling Simon's hair. I turned to see Regulus deep in conversation with Lorenzo, nervousness etched on his face.

"Hey, big sis!"

I turned to see Delphini; her words being swallowed by a bright pop as she chewed gum with abandon. Her curly brown hair stuck out in all directions like a liberated slinky, a testament to the wild nature of her character and spirit.

"Hi, Nini!"

She rolled her eyes, affectionately, as we hugged. Tom, Mattheo, and I had explained to her about our biological parents when she was in her second year, revealing that we were siblings. Despite knowing, she still calls Tom and Evie Mom and Dad, as they were the ones to open their home and hearts to her.

"Where's Mia?" she asked.

I pointed down the platform, where Amelia, Kate, and Tyler were all standing in a jumble of belongings and laughter. She turned her attention to the anxious boy at Lorenzo's side. "Cheer up, Reg! Hogwarts is fun! Talk with Minnie about all the stuff your Y/n and Lorenzo did," she said, the bubble of her gum bursting mid-sentence. Her words seemed to break through the cloud of doubt that hovered around him, and he smiled for the first time that morning.

The train whistled, a sharp breath of steam and excitement. I hugged Isadora tightly, feeling the quickened thudding of her heart against mine. "Study hard, but make sure you have fun," I told her, my voice thick as a wave of nostalgia poured over me.

"I will," she nodded, clutching her book as if it were an extension of her hand. I kissed her forehead, a quick gesture, before she scurried away.

Regulus held me with all his might; his small arms wrapped around my waist. "I don't want to leave," he admitted, the tremor in his voice pulling at my own heartstrings.

"I know, bud. But I promise you that you will have so much fun. Call me if you need anything at all," I said, the words feeling both ancient and new. Letting go was the hardest part.

He nodded, the reluctance plain on his face, before picking up Sunny. Her gray fluffiness reminded me so much of Midnight, my first cat who had passed in 2006. I miss her every day.

Lorenzo came to my side, holding me close as I watched Regulus drag the trunk up and onto the train.

The train whistled again, longer this time, echoing the sigh of my own heart as I watched. Regulus looked at me with those impossibly bright eyes, clutching Sunny to his chest. His first real adventure, his first step towards growing up and away from the closeness and constancy I have tried so hard to fill his life with because I never truly got that. He waved, his hand a streak of motion through the blur of activity and steam. I smiled back at him, feeling Lorenzo's reassuring touch on my arm.