RISE OF THE FALL | R.B.

LXIII.

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter World belongs to J.K. Rowling.

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CHAPTER LXIII.

"Boys!" Reia snapped, when Archie and Atlas balanced precariously on a stool and attempted to reach one of Debbie's ceramic pots, that sat on the windowsill.

Immediately, the two of them jumped off the stool, stumbling slightly and turned around to face their mother.

Reia knew they were waiting to be scolded, though it was very obvious that they were trying very hard not to smile.

She heaved a tired sigh and said, "You two...you're meant to be mature. You're already eleven—twelve in a few months!"

Archie snorted, "Mature? What's that mean, again?"

"Archie!" Reia said sternly, "Don't be cheeky. You know what it means."

However, inside, she was actually very happy that her sons were happy—most days, though she tried to be firm with them when they did the wrong thing, she was often entertained by their antics. She would never admit it to them, though. It'd only encourage them more.

"The word 'mature' means," Atlas paused for dramatic effect, "not us, Mum,"

"And I thought you were the responsible one," Reia responded with a little laugh.

The boys looked similar, like brothers often did, but they weren't impossible to tell apart, at least to Reia. They had grown rather tall—both of them reaching her shoulders now, and they were only eleven.

It was hard to accept that they had grown up, even though they acted like little kids sometimes.

"Well, you were mistaken," Archie said with a lopsided grin.

"I suppose there are worst things than being mistaken," Reia said with a light laugh.

"Like being a mistake?" Atlas asked, his eyes widening, "Was I a mistake?"

"Hmm, I don't think so," Reia answered honestly with a playful smile.

Whenever she tried thinking back to life before Atlas and Archie's birth, there was only a grey haziness—which frustrated her, because everything she wanted to know about herself seemed to close yet so far at the same time.

"Well, Atty, if you were a mistake, then I was a mistake, too. We're twins, remember?" Archie pointed out.

"How could I ever forget," Atlas said dryly.

***

The twins, on summer break, were very hard to keep under control, especially with all of the ice-cream they'd been eating.

Debbie always had some, and though she had told the boys numerous times that they couldn't eat it without their mother's permission, Atlas and Archie did it anyway.

Reia had scolded them on multiple occasions, but no amount of reprimanding had managed to keep the twins away from the dessert.

They often got over-excited after consuming too much sugar. While over-excited, it was immensely difficult—more difficult than usual, that was—to get Atlas and Arche to listen, particularly the latter, who had always been the louder of the two.

"Mum," Archie grumbled, "Please, just one more! I promise, I won't ask for another after."

"No," Reia said firmly, packing the tubs of ice-cream into the freezer, "No more—and get Atlas from upstairs, please. We're going on a shopping trip."