Holmes away from Home

The problem with adoption

-----------------Izzy's PoV----------------

I was back in our house, and I was going through how I was going to tell my 'parents' that I knew I was adopted. Not over dinner, I would get sprayed with food and probably end up hungry. First thing in the morning also wasn't an option, who'd want to wake up to that kind of news? Or go to sleep on it , for that matter? No, I would tell them after lunch, when their food was releasing endorphins into their brains making them happy. Less of a chance of tears and screaming.

...

The time came. It had been the longest meal ever in my experience. So I led Mum and Dad to the sofa in the lounge and sat down opposite them.

"What is it, honey?" Asked Mum, anxiety growing on her face.

So it all came spilling out.

"Mum and Dad I love you very much but I know I'm adopted and I found my twin sister at Hogwarts and her name is Cecilia and she's really nice and all techy and that and we met our real family and they're kind of famous and important and I want to see them more."

"Could you speak up a bit please honey?" Asked my mother.

I checked back through that sentence and realised that all of that had been whispered. I started over.

"Mum, Dad, I know I'm adopted."

Mum just hung her head and sighed.

"I still love you very much, but I want to see my other family more."

It was Mum's turn to speak.

"We were going to tell you when you were sixteen, but I guess that isn't going to happen. I'm guessing it wasn't just 'a friend' you've been with this past week?"

"No."

"I thought not. But what are you going to do about your other family? You can't just fly to England every weekend to see them. It would be impossible and you'd lose half of your weekend anyway."

I thought for a while, going over all the options in my head. Then it hit me.

"I could spend half terms with them, and full holidays with you? That would work out, but I'd have to run it past Cecilia first."

"Who's Cecilia?"

"My twin sister. I met her at Hogwarts."

"Alright. Well, I'm going to have a little siesta. You... do whatever you want."

Mum got up and dad followed her. It was only when she turned away that I realised she had been crying.

---------------Cecilia's PoV--------------

Mama and Papa were still asleep, and I was lying on my bed searching through my mind library for the gentlest possibly way to break the news to my parents. Harder that it sounds, I'm not exactly a very gentle kind of person. At least with computers you just tell them what to do and they do it without complaining or awkward emotions or reactions that you don't expect or know what to do with. So I decided to do it over the dinner table.

...

My parents and brother were sitting opposite me at the table. I had been a good daughter and made tea and stuff, and the time to tell all had come. Here goes...

"Mum, Dad, Oliver, it has recently come to my attention that I am adopted."

There were mixed reactions.

Dad slammed his hand on the table and tipped his head back in laughter.

Oliver narrowed his eyes and tilted his head to one side.

Mum hung her head and started to cry.

Dad was the first to speak.

"That's ridiculous! Why would you think that? Right Anna?" He looked at my mother.

"Right?"

Mum sniffed and looked up. Her voice was shaking, but I didn't interrupt.

"On the 1st June, 2002, I had a miscarriage. It was horrible, and for six hours, I the only thing I could think about was how I was going to tell you that we wouldn't have a daughter when you got back from England. But a nurse came to tell me that a baby, a little girl had come up for adoption. I leapt at the chance, anyway, we'd both benefit and you wouldn't blame yourself for not being there. The swap was done, there were no questions asked."

At that, she broke down completely, and I rushed around the table to comfort her. Dad took her up to bed, and Oliver and I made her tea and biscuits to eat in bed. Oliver looked at me sideways.

"I'm glad I'm not actually related to you, pie face."

"The feeling's mutual potato nose."

That was all we said on the matter.

A bit later, everything was sorted out, mother comforted, arrangements for holidays sorted, stuff bought for Hannah and Phoenix, and a twin sister to look forward to seeing next term. Everything was going to be great. At least, that's what I thought.

What I was supposed to think.