Starkid One Shots

Pandafish- Growing Up

So to add some variety to this, I'm adding in some Pandafish oneshots! I hope you like this installment!

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Tessa picked up the Deathly Hallows book from the family bookshelf and looked at it longingly, caressing the front of the book and hugging it to her chest.

"Tessa? You okay?" Joe's voice came behind her, she spun around, saw him and smiled.

"I'm okay," she replied, "Do you realize today is the day we're going to read the epilogue?"

"Huh?"

Tessa explained further, "We've been reading Harry Potter chapter by chapter to Emma every night for the last six months, we're going to be reading the epilogue today, and her birthday is tomorrow. I don't think I'm ready for this to end."

"Aww, come here," Joe enveloped his wife into a hug, "Post Potter Depression?"

"Don't even remind me of it," she chuckled and walked into their toddler's room, who was happily playing with Luna the cat. Emma had the biggest smile on her face as she saw her parents walking in with one of her favorite storybooks.

"Ready to finish off Harry's adventure, Em?" Joe asked, ruffling her dark brown hair.

Emma nodded happily and immediately grabbed her wand from her bedside table, climbing into bed as Tessa flipped off the main light.

"Lumos!" Emma pointed her wand to the nightlight and Joe flipped the switch on, Luna curled up in the bed with the family as Joe and Tessa sat on either side of their daughter.

"Ready for the big finish?" Tessa asked, stroking Luna.

Emma nodded excitedly, tightening her grip on her wand as Tessa opened the book, inside which lay an elaborate, metal Ravenclaw bookmark because Emma decided she wanted to be in the same house her mother is in, and everyone decided she was more Tessa than Joe, hence the bookmark.

"Autumn seemed to arrive suddenly that year. The morning of the first of September-"  Tessa began, but Joe and Emma both cut her off.

"Which is your birthday," they said in sync.

Tessa chuckled, continuing, "...was crisp as an apple, and as the little family bobbed across the rumbling road toward the great sooty station, the fume of car exhausts and the breath of pedestrians sparkled like cobwebs in the cold air..."

She continued the chapter, occasionally passing the book to Joe for him to read some of the dialogue in Snape's voice, for instance, Harry's speech to Albus, "Albus Severus, you were named after two headmasters of Hogwarts. One of them was a Slytherin, and he was probably the bravest man I ever knew."

"You sound funny, Daddy," Emma giggled.

"That's absurd" Joe kept talking in his Snape voice, "I do not sound funny."

Tessa coughed under her breath, "Butt trumpet!"

"Ms Netting, detention," he said and everyone burst out into fits of laughter.

She looked at him dreamily, "Didn't I become Mrs Moses five years ago?"

"Yes you did," Joe smiled and gave her a quick kiss before Emma called out, "Come on Daddy! I want to know what happens to Albus!"

Joe passed the book back to Tessa, who read through the last couple paragraphs as if she was reading it for the first time herself. And when it was time to read the last line and close the chapter to this adventure, she took a deep breath and savored the moment, and finally read, "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well."

She shut the book and smiled down at Emma, who had a curious expression on her face, "But what happens to Albus? Is he in Slytherin or Gryffindor?"

"You can beg Mommy to read the Cursed Child to you tomorrow," Joe suggested, and Emma looked up at her with her puppy dog eyes.

"Pleeeeease, Mommy?" she begged, "Pretty please with a cherry on top?"

Tessa looked at Joe, who obviously didn't seem to mind, and back at Emma, "Sure, new year, new adventure."

"Yeah, you're turning five tomorrow!" Joe told Emma.

Emma smiled happily, "So can we read Cursed Child tomorrow?"

She obviously didn't care for her birthday, she only cared about what happened to Albus, and Tessa felt like she taught her daughter well, "Yes we can."

"Yay!" Emma celebrated, "It's gonna be the best birthday ever!"

"Okay then," Tessa climbed off of Emma's bed as she tucked her in tight and Joe took Luna off the bed, "Good night Em."

"Night Mommy," Emma murmured as Tessa kissed her good night, Joe following suit, "Night Daddy."

Joe asked, "Wanna turn off your light?"

Emma nodded and pointed her wand to the nightlight, "Nox."

Tessa flipped the switch off as Joe gently took Emma's wand and put it on her nightstand, and they both quietly walked out of the room, shutting the door behind them.

"See? This isn't too bad," Joe grinned.

Tessa smiled wearily, "It's like saying goodbye, on so many levels."

"You'd better get to bed," he suggested, "Tomorrow's gonna be crazy with her birthday party, the Very Potter singalong and smashing open a Voldemort piñata."

She chuckled, "I think the adults would have more fun at that than the kids."

Joe kissed the top of Tessa's head, "Go get some rest, I love you."

"Love you too," she smiled as she walked into their room, mentally preparing herself for a whole new chapter of their lives.