PAN || JAMES POTTER

I

"Boys!" Wendy burst into the large bedroom. "You two better be up or I'm leaving you!"

The younger of the two boys, extremely excited to start his first year, was sitting on the edge of his bed, all packed and ready."Please don't!" he exclaimed, his voice even higher than usual.

Wendy smiled fondly at Michael before turning to her other sibling, John. He was getting ready considerably slower than Michael, still in his pajama bottoms. His excitement levels were nowhere near as high as Michael's, as he was just a fourth year.

Wendy groaned. "Hurry up, John, we're going to miss the train."

Michael's face fell. "We better not! I can't miss my first train ride!"

John rolled his eyes. "We have an hour and a half, we aren't going to miss the train," he said, voice thick as if he had just woken up.

"Yes, but we have to meet Mum and Dad at the ministry first, and you know how they feel about us being late."

Mr. and Mrs. Carter both work in the same department at the Ministry of Magic (International Magical Cooperation), and had unfortunately been caught up the evening before and had to stay overnight to work. Wendy wasn't sure what for, but she assumed it was important and didn't really mind. Her and her brothers would simply use the Floo Powder system and meet then in their shared office, where they would all travel to the train station together.

John rolled his eyes once again, this time directed towards his sister, and grumbled something incoherent. Wendy cocked an eyebrow at his back, growing annoyed. Her brother may be a genius, but he has the same attitude as every young teenager. Maybe turning fifteen in a couple of months will help (probably not).

"Anyway," Wendy began, brushing off her annoyance. "Please double check you have everything packed, we need to leave very soon."

Michael opened his trunk and inspected only the top contents, before looking over at her and grinning, giving a thumbs up.

Wendy chuckled and stepped over to him. She dug into his trunk, checking everything, and folding his clothes along the way. It felt like something was missing, but she couldn't pinpoint exactly what, until she saw his raggedy old teddy bear on the floor next to his nightstand. "Here, we don't want to leave Teddy, do we?" She placed the bear in the too of his trunk. "Honestly, you'll forget your own left foot when I'm gone."

Michael looked conflicted for a split second, before blurting, "I don't want to take Teddy."

Wendy and John both froze in their places. The older girl slowly looked at her little brother, her baby brother, with her eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't want to bring him- it."

John turned so he was facing them, his previous attitude completely gone. "Why don't you want to take him, bud? You bring him everywhere."

A light blush rose on Michael's cheeks. "No I don't!" he cried defensively. "Besides, big kids don't have stuffed animals."

"What are you talking about? I still take my stuffed lamb to school."

Michael blinked at his older sister. "Fine. Boys don't have stuffed animals. John doesn't have one."

Wendy looked at the taller boy over Michael's head, frowning. John frowned back down at her and shrugged. "Okay," she said, turning back towards his trunk. "I'll take Teddy, then, if you don't want him."

For a beat, Michael looked as if he wanted to protest, but it was gone so quickly that it must have been Wendy's hopeful imagination. "Okay, that's fine. I don't need a teddy bear."

Without another word, Wendy walked out of their room and down the hall to hers. For some reason, she found tears stinging the backs of her eyes. Her baby brother didn't need his teddy bear.

Even still, she opened the trunk at the foot of her bed and placed him on top, just in case.

. . .

"Oh, darlings, you're finally here!" The three Carter children are all engulfed in a big, dramatic hug by the tall woman standing in front of the fireplace.

Wendy looked up at her mother as she leaned down to place a kiss on each of their foreheads, no doubt leaving a mark of pink lipstick. Wendy is constantly reminded how much shorter she is than everyone else in her family, with the exception of Michael. Both of her parents are quite tall, but her grandmother was very short, and Wendy seemed to have inherited that gene. Even John, who is almost 3 years younger than her, is considerably taller. Michael is the only one that hasn't passed her yet, but he's catching up quickly.

"Sorry we're cutting it so close to time, someone took forever getting ready." She shot a look at John.

Their mother tsked at the boy, but didn't get onto him past that. "Well, I suppose we best get going. Does everyone have everything?"

Wendy looked around. John had his and her trunk, Michael had his, and Wendy had their family cat curled up in her arms. Her parents had adopted Nana when Wendy went to Hogwarts her first year so she wouldn't be lonely, and she's gone with the Carters ever since. She stayed in the Hufflepuff common room for threes years, then, when John came to Hogwarts, she stayed in the Ravenclaw common room. Now, another three years later, she'll stay wherever Michael gets sorted- Wendy's fingers are crossed for Hufflepuff, but John thinks it'll be Gryffindor, like their father. Their mother doesn't really care, as she went to Beauxbatons.

The three children nodded at their parents, confirming they were ready. Their father clapped his hands together as he stood, the joints in his knees popping. "Alright, you kids know the drill by now. We'll take you two boys, then your mother will come back for Wendy."

"Nope," Wendy shook her head as Nana finally won the battle and got dropped to the floor. "I can apparate on my own now, remember?'

Her father's face dropped for a split second, before he grinned. "I guess I just don't want my little girl to be all grown up."

A sly grin took over Wendy's face as she subtly pulled her wand out of her pocket. "Too late!" she exclaimed in a sing-song voice before pivoting on her toes and disappearing from the room.