Something Sweet (Hinny Fanfiction)

Ch. 51

Ch. 51
Our Family

"Is it a girl?" Canaan looked up from his toy soldiers to see his father standing in front of his aunt, arms crossed.

"It is." The man responded, his eyes cold, "We named her Katrina."

"Katrina?" The small woman's face was surprised, "You named her that?"

"We did." He kept to short responses, his expression emotionless but also deceiving him to his son. He was disappointed.

"Well, that is very ironic." Aunt said, putting her slim hand against her throat in shock.

"She is very ironic." He scoffed, "All this time preparing for a boy..."

"Well, at the very least you have a daughter." The woman said, "After Canaan... Leaves you'll still be able to connect our family to theirs."

"She thinks the name will help." He ran his fingers through his hair, "She thinks it will bring favor with them." There was silence.

"Arranged marriage is terribly frowned upon." Aunt said, changing the subject.

"My daughter..." He rolled his eyes, "It's all she'll be good for anyway. Marriage. Pleasing her husband."

"That's not all women are good for." Aunt looked upset, frowning at her brother.

"But it is. Especially in this family."

"Oh, don't believe yourself so high and mighty!" Aunt's voice shook with anger and her green eyes, precisely the color of Canaan's, flashed.

"Do not speak to me that way!" He fired back, spittle flying from his lips as he pointed an accusing finger at his sister.

"I'll see myself out, you ungrateful hog." She raged, smoothing her dress and making for the exit.

"And don't step foot in my house again, Marcie!" He shouted after her retreating figure.

"Daddy? Can I see baby?" Canaan, unfazed by the argument, asked. His father looked down at him with obvious favor.

"In a moment, child. Just a moment."

///

"Catch ta' flies!" Katrina squealed, trailing behind her brother as they darted about the yard, catching fireflies in their hands.

"C'mon Katty!" A seven year old Canaan darted around the yard, jumping up to catch the glowing creatures.

"No no!" Katrina, only four years old at the time, exclaimed as a fly escaped her chubby fingers.

Canaan stopped his chase and looked back at his baby sister, dolled up in a white dress and sandals. It was harder for her to run and jump than it was for him, wearing trousers and trainers. It was unfair.

"C'mere." He held out his hands. She toddled over to him, lifting her arms up and letting him take her into a hug, "We'll catch 'em together, Katty." He smiled as her face lit up.

"Really?" She asked, but it came out more as "Weery?"

"Yeah!" He held her up as far as he could, being only seven, and she clasped at the air excitedly, "How's the weather up there?"

"Fly!" Was the only thing she said. He let her back down, watching as her eyes widened and she gaped at the small bug traversing her hands.

"Wow! You caught one!" He exclaimed, kneeling beside her, "Make a wish!"

"Huh?" She cocked her head to the side.

"Tell the firefly what you want more than anything, and it'll fly off to the spirits and they'll make sure it happens!" He fixed, reciting what his mother had said all of those years.

"Wish..." She smiled, showing off how she'd lost two of her teeth.

"Wish." He confirmed, putting his larger hands around hers and leaning over where the firefly was, "Ready?"

She leaned over with him, "Weddy."

"Mister Firefly." Katrina said softly, "Can you get me a cake?" Canaan laughed.

"No no, Katty. Wish something that you otherwise couldn't get." He smiled.

"Cake." She was set on it.

"Mister Firefly, please..." Canaan thought for a moment, then looked over at his sister's grey eyes and decided at once what he'd say. To stop her from hearing, he whispered softly, "Let Katrina do whatever she wants. Don't let daddy take it away from her."

As Katrina slowly opened her palms and they watched the firefly flutter into the night, Canaan was proud of what he'd wished for. Because it had weighed heavy on his heart for a long while. Something that should have never caught such a young person's attention.

"Caina." Katrin put her hands up again.

"It's Canaan, Katty." He smiled softly at the way his sister mispronounced his name.

"Cain... Caina." She said, furrowing her eyebrows as if it were a difficult problem she must solve.

"Alright, alright." He sighed, "How about Cain, yeah? You can say Cain."

"Cain!" She giggled, raising her hands once more.

He picked her up, laughing as she wiggled her fingers in front of his face. She 'tickled' him and he pretended to become hysterical with his laughter.

"Let's go, Katty. Mummy will have dinner ready." He said. She laid her head on his shoulder and he smiled at her childish behavior. At how innocent she really was. At the innocence that would leave her at the uttering of a word.

///

"You have to be kidding me." Katrin groaned, looking up at the dilapidated building in front of the four of them. Greg walked straight up to the door and opened it, waving them in silently.

"Nope." Cain said, popping the 'p', "Let's say hullo to the relatives, shall we?" He offered her his arm and she rolled her eyes.

"Yeah," She laid her hand on his arm, dramatically curtsying.

"You guys are so weird." Harry said.

"Says the man who took his girlfriend for a spin around the common room whilst doing a bad old English accent." Cain scoffed. Harry turned bright red.

"Hey! At least I have a girlfriend!"

"Let's go. I can practically smell the testosterone." Katrin said, shaking her head. Her brother looked at her with thankful eyes. He didn't like to talk about his not having a girlfriend. He had a girlfriend... She just didn't exactly know it yet.

"Off we go!" Cain took the stairs two at a time, which got him up there pretty quickly since there were only four steps.

"They're all in there?" Katrin asked Greg as he tapped his wand against the door. She wasn't answered as a sound of mechanisms whirring came from the door and, quite suddenly, the floor dropped from beneath her feet.

And, well, after that it was just pure chaos.