Sibling Revelry - Monday, 22nds of December, 1975

[Edgar Bones]

He snorted - Not impressed, sure. - and held a hand up in defeat. He hadn't been making a look. Had he? Could she blame him if he was? He and Rod were the best equipped pair to handle something as dicey as getting rid of one of the Lestranges - morals notwithstanding, of course - and it was good of her to keep putting that in Annette's ear, if it only kept the witches from taking drastic action without backup. Ed knew they were kidding. Mostly. If anyone could negotiate her way out of a betrothal and leave them doing a double-take, it was Annette Greengrass.

He gave a celebratory pump of his fist at his first win, but groaned and took up his own drink anyway as Amelia's words hit him. "The whole lot, believe you me," he sighed. "Slippery and ruthless as kelpies, the whole lot. Nettie ever...seen the Mark on him?" Bellatrix and Rodolphus were masters of manipulation and evasion, but the kid, he was still at school. Unsuspecting that they were suspecting him. Perhaps. Second-to-last thing he wanted to do was get Annette on the wrong side of him - first was Milly, priorities being what they were - but she was in an interesting position to inform. His sister tipped up her glass to prove him wrong, and he mimicked the gesture, glass banging down onto the table as she prepared to play. His brows disappeared under his hair - Polyjuice would get her in, but what would get her out? - but soon, so soon, he was speechless. Nearly.

"You're applying? Amelia Susan," he sputtered, all but overcome, and wasted no time crossing to her side of the booth. A beaming grin, a laugh of wonder, as he took in his not-so-little-anymore sister, squeezed in beside her, and pulled her into a tight hug. Knowing her, she'd deny that he'd had any influence on her decision to apply for the Auror program until he was on his deathbed, but Ed looked forward to arguing it in circles over the coming years. Whether or not Amelia would have seen it as a path for her if he hadn't taken it first, he was glad that she hadn't been deterred by his example. Conflicted, certainly, and preparing to talk the rest of their family down - sure, she wasn't so little anymore, but he'd do just about anything to wrap the war up all tidy-like before her graduation so she didn't enter into this mess; just the thought of arriving onto a scene and seeing her there filled him with immense pride and fear already - but it was a worthy path, and they needed every talented wand on their side.

"You're brilliant - you're getting in, and we'll train, and you'll be brilliant. This is huge - I'm so proud of you - would've been whatever you chose, but this is just - brilliant. How long's this been on your mind?" He released her with a mighty exhale but didn't go far, dragging his glass over from the other end of the table. Edgar was missing their brother, but was privately glad for this moment to be shared between the two of them only. Different as they all were, they had an understanding of each other - but Milly gravitated to Quidditch and dueling, outward competition, just as he had. Their no holds barred flying sessions and spell practices had surely prematurely colored their mother's hair gray, but they'd kept her skills sharp over the holidays and look at her now. This decision was monumental, just as it had been for him, just as it had been for Roderick to dedicate himself to Healing. They would each do their part in their own ways, no doubt about it - but he'd never so acutely felt the kindred spirits between himself and his sister as he had here on this old bench. 

[Amelia Bones]

Amy nodded in agreement. The Lestranges, and everyone in their social circle most likely, were pure filth. How Annette’s parents ever got mixed up with that lot… She’d met Gregory and Veronica on multiple occasions, and as far as blood supremacists went, they certainly seemed to be more on the sane side of the spectrum. It didn’t make sense to Amelia why they would want to associate with the Lestranges, but then she supposed it was for the best that she couldn’t rationalize their view of things. Understanding that sort of bigoted lunacy was a gateway to falling down that rabbit hole herself, and she refused to get swept away in that sort of propaganda.

Had Annette seen the Mark on Lestrange? That was a constant topic of discussion between the girls when they were alone. Amelia had tried every method she could think of, short of suggesting Nettie actually shag the bastard, to get him to take off his shirt or otherwise reveal the tattoo that was rumored to be worn by all of You-Know-Who’s followers. What dweebs they must’ve been to all get matching tattoos for their cult. It was completely different to the matching tattoos Amelia had suggested her and Annette get after graduation to signify their lifelong friendship. For starters, it wouldn’t be something so ghastly they’d feel the need to hide it (hopefully) and secondly, they weren’t nutters hellbent on eliminating half the country’s population. Amy would have explained all of that to her brother – about Rabastan, not about her own plans to get inked – when Ed went absolutely bonkers.

What was happening?! Amelia’s eyes widened as she realized she’d let slip her plans for the future without even realizing it. Alright, maybe I can’t hold my liquor as well as I thought. Bugger.

She hardly had time to react before she was enveloped in her brother’s beefy arms getting a mouthful of that long hair he was so bloody proud of. His excitement was infectious, and Amelia relented, embracing him in return as he yammered on about how brilliant she was. He’s not wrong. Finally released from the torture chamber that was her brother’s enthusiasm, Amelia grinned at him. “I’ve been thinking about for a year or so now, but don’t tell mum! Or Rod. He’ll blab.” She adjusted her position on the booth bench to accommodate his seat change. Her tone growing more serious as she continued. “I want to tell them when I’m ready to. And that’s if I even get accepted. Or even apply. There’s loads still up in the air, and I don’t want to deal with mum and dad until I’ve got it all sorted.”

Amy slid her drink to her end of the table and watched the liquid slosh within its glass. She sat for a brief moment before bursting into a smile again. “Oh, to hell with it. I’m going to be an auror!” She squealed and shook her brother’s arm excitedly.

[Edgar Bones]

This was mad. Really, truly, absolutely mad. She hugged him back and he could feel her grin as his mind spun from far more than the drink.

Amelia was going to be an Auror. An excellent one at that, if she - or Ed - had anything to say about it.

If she was going to do this, she would do this prepared, and with his unequivocal support. That was the only way - as difficult as he knew this would undoubtedly come to be, that was the only way. More than feeling it, she had to know he was not only in her corner, not only a shield, not only humoring her - but that he knew she could do this, and that he'd be there every step of the way that she'd let him. The Academy had knocked him on his arse til he was black and blue, and if it hadn't been for Fabian and Gideon, their hands outstretched to pull him up every time, he wouldn't have made it. Building a team she trusted was just as important as the spellwork she'd learn, the callouses that would form, the ways she'd learn to cope with the darkness that came with the work. And for now, he'd be a team of one if that's what she needed.

He sat back, stunned and giddy with pride, and was shortly agape. A year? This had been on her mind for a year? And she'd said nothing? Granted, it'd been a busy year, and when they'd had sparse time together it was also with Phoebe and their son and the rest of their family and many of their friends - still. Less surprising was her demand. Their parents had given him hell when he'd declared his intended career in front of the littles, and he had no doubt that they'd take just as kindly to this news. And Rod, that would be even harder. Their resident on-call Healer wasn't used to patching him up - was that ever something that you could get used to? - and Ed didn't know a way to make this easier. It wasn't as if he ran blindly into the fire, it wasn't as if he was that desperate for opportunities to see his little brother, he'd knock on his door any day he could - no, no matter how many hours of practice and on-the-ground work he'd put in by now, not even a second was guaranteed. Would either of them get any sleep, knowing Amelia was out there too?

He bit his tongue and listened, enthusiasm hardly dimmed even as the harsher realities begged to be acknowledged. She was so excited, happy, thoughtful, serious. And she had to know that he was telling Phoebe, first thing when he got home.

"You're on.

But I'm there when you let it spill. No more holding out on me, alright? You don't have to do this alone - Lesson Number One." He laughed and gave a sh*t-eating grin, taking a long drink as his sister sat. And thought. And squealed. "There she is!" Edgar kept laughing as his arm was shaken about, the beaming smile on her face everything to him as his drink went everywhere.

[Amelia Bones]

A year hadn’t seemed like a long time to Amelia. It wasn’t as though she had spent every waking moment of that year thinking on her future or of her potentially joining the Auror team with her big brother. Most of her time had been split between studying for her exams, dating, and just being an average teenager with friends. She had spent much more time plotting with Annette on how to rid the witch of her betrothed, and even more time on the quidditch pitch perfecting her skills. Not to mention her duties as prefect and the various clubs she partook in. If Ed knew how little she had actually thought about this decision, he might not have been so in awe of her - except that he was constantly in awe of her, because she was bloody amazing.

Ed insisted on being there when she finally let their parents in on her plans and Amy inhaled deeply, nodding. She would absolutely need backup for that conversation, but thinking on that was not the mood she wanted to create tonight so she pushed the thought to the back of her mind, assured her brother knew she agreed without needing to say it. Instead, she deflected. “Right, a secret. So, tell Pheebs she’s not allowed to mention it to anyone.” Because in what world did Edgar keeping a secret not include him telling his wife? The sod was utterly obsessed with the woman. It was cute really and made him such an easy target for mockery. “Not even the baby. Gray’ll tell me if you two hens are clucking about me. We’re like this.” Amy crossed her fingers to show how tight she and her infant nephew were.

[Edgar Bones]

Without question, Amelia accepted his demand to help on the parent front, and Ed counted that as a win. He couldn’t fault their parents for loving their children, and in so doing, wanting them to remain out of harm’s way. If Gray announced, fifteen long years from now, that he intended to follow in Ed’s footsteps - well, you wouldn’t find a father more proud, or more terrified. But children were going to do what they were going to do, and having the backing of their families? It made impossible decisions possible, and Gray would know he always had his support - just as Amelia did.

"Done," Edgar promised immediately at her insistence of secrecy, holding his hand out to shake on the promise before quickly whipping it up and out of her reach as his sister went on. Pheebs wouldn’t tell a soul, and he wouldn’t either. Outside of their household, that is. Where Amelia could now be free to spill all her secrets - and get all the advice she wasn’t asking for, from a couple only all too eager to give it. But the thought of keeping such thrilling news from Gray - while he knew his sister was only joking - was too much, and he had to laugh. "Hold on, hold on, let’s not be hasty. He’s a fantastic listener, Ames. Sadie too. I wouldn’t count them out so quickly."

Honored as he was to be the first member of the family to be in the know - and he well understood, their parents would overreact to whatever course of action she’d decided on, and as it aligned with his own, it only made sense - it would be a tricky thing to keep such big news from their brother. And did he have to? Rod could help bring their parents in line, and the fewer secrets among them, the better. "What’s the plan for Roddy, then?" Ed asked, brows high as he drank. While knowing that both of his siblings were in the field was certainly going to give the poor lad ulcers and accelerate the loss of his hairline, Roderick wouldn’t try to take this dream from her or anything of the sort. Things always went better when they were all in it together, didn’t it? Sure, their post-grad decisions had effects that were much more far-reaching than anything that came before. But knowing that the two of them would be there for him, to catch - and scold, and problem-solve with - him when he messed up? It helped, and it was something Edgar knew he could rely on - didn’t they?