Second Glances, Second Chances

Michael led the way to the little cottage he rented from Khaat. The house was brightly lit, and the delightful smells of comfort food met them when Michael opened the door.And that was followed by barking of two excited...well, dogs? Two enchanted ottomans ran out wagging their..wait, tassels and jumping and barking happily to greet them all. Brian put Abbey on the floor, and she laughed uncontrollably as the dogs greeted her.

"I go play?" she asked Brian.

"Yes. You can go play with Otto and Faline, but don't go outside. Okay?" he said.

"Okay," She agreed and ran off with the footstools

There was nothing they could do for Chase tonight. He would take it up with Robert in the morning--if Khaat didn't get to Robert first. So he was backburnering that for now. Just for the moment. Not for long. He took Khaat's dirty and grass stained trench coat and was going to lay it aside when Snidely dashed out of no where and grabbed the coat and ran off with it, giggling.

"Kleptomaniac coat rack," Brian shook his head. "You haven't fixed that coat rack yet, Michael?"

"Nah. Why should I?" Michael called back. "I don't have to remember where my hat and coat are. Snidely always knows."

"Come in," Michael told them. "Make yourselves at home. I'll set the table. It should only take a few minutes."

"Well, good," Khaat said. "That gives us time to get to know Faith a bit. Abbey is quite taken with you. And she's a pretty good judge of people. So, come in and sit down and tell us a bit about yourself. You must be new around here."

Faith let them lead her to a pleasant little home, the smell of food greeted them, and she was nearly taken aback by the footstools that acted like dogs. Was that normal for a wizarding household? She lived with her father, and he was a muggle... so all of these enchanted items that were around her, were absolutely amazing. She stared at the footstools as Abbey ran off to play with them. An odd household pet sure.. but why not? They sounded like dogs, and they acted like dogs.. at first glance they LOOKED like dogs.. and than you realized they weren't..

The coat rack came from nowhere, and grabbed the trenchcoat, and she nearly gasped. She set her bag down near some other bag, and looked around the beautiful home. She didn't know houses could be this welcoming.. well she had read about welcoming houses, but it was different experiencing it for the first time. It was well lit, and smelt wonderful, and nothing was dreary, or falling apart, everything looked new, and shiny, and clean.

When they spoke to her after they had moved into the house more, Faith was almost taken aback, and she found herself stuttering slightly. "O-oh.. erm.. yeah.. I mean.. no.. I'm not new.. I'm a 5th year.. and I erm.. I don't get out much... I mostly stay at the castle.. and erm.. read.. I'm a Ravenclaw so I guess that makes sense." she said, gaining enthusiasm as she sat down awkwardly on the couch, setting her hands in her lap, unsure what to do with herself. "Um.. I just kinda look after Honeydukes for the family during Hogsmeade weekends.. they are getting old and.. with so many people visiting on Hogsmeade.. they like to stay back and make the candy, tonight they went out and left me in charge so.. that's why I was there.." she said her face going slightly red.

Her eyes kept darting around the room, taking in the features, the cleanness of it all, how pretty it was, her eyes shone with happiness, just for sitting there being able to take it all in, and it was painfully obvious that she wasn't used to such a nice house. Her house was big enough sure, but everything was bleak, it was never lit up, always dark, and everything they owned was pretty much in tatters and wears, which is why she always got a summer job, and she worked at different places in Hogsmeade during school if she could, not that she kept much money.. her father took most of it, but she kept enough of it to get something for herself every now and then, though she didn't have much money now, and it was obvious by the state of her clothing that she wore that night, because she had been saving up for an owl.

Her shorts had a small rip on the pant leg, and there was another rip on her upper arm, she didn't have her cloak on, for she had disregarded it at the door, so it was obvious that her shirt needed to see a good tailor with the way it was frayed at the bottom, and there were a few cuts, that looked almost like a knife had slit them, and there was even a cigarette burn on her shoulder, but she didn't seem to notice her own appearance as she looked around the room, taking in all of the marvels.

"Well," Brian said. "I didn't leave my common room some years. And some subjects just demanded I spend more time of them than others. I can understand that. In fact, Khaat's father was a great deal like that. Remus was out socializing and Robert was usually either studying or working."

Khaat hadn't missed the clear signs of poverty all around Faith. The old but serviceable clothes, the utter amazement at the simple little country cottage as if it were a palace.

"Well," Khaat said. "I know they pretty much need to be locked out of the shop to get any time away from that shop." She knew that Faith wasn't making as much there as she deserved to be making. The owners didn't leave very often, and they weren't known for necessarily paying the highest wage. "Let me ask you something. Brian and I are finding that our jobs are a lot more intense and demanding than they were a few months back. We're gone at all hours. And nothing is more important to us than to know that our kids are safe and well. Nothing else matters.

"Abbey really likes you. And she has 2 brothers and two sisters. One sister is her age, and the others are a year younger. Is there any chance you might be interested in helping my staff to look after the house and the kids? I don't know that you would be rich, but you would surely make more than you make here. And, your room and board is included in addition to your salary. I hate to ask, but I'm very short staffed, Maybe I'm relying on how well you and Abbey get along, or the fact that you were willing to step up to keep her safe in a tough situation. But I think that she'd like having you around. And i'd like having you there. And if you want to continue at Honeydukes, thats up to you. Its just something to consider."

Faith stared in amazement at Khaat, as she asked if she wanted to be on staff at her home... she couldn't even begin to imagine what kind of house these people lived in.. this obviously wasn't her home.. and she had four OTHER children.. Faith stared at the woman, her eyes wide, nearly bulging, her mouth hanging slightly open. To think she could stay in a home.. probably a mansion with the wealth they surely had, what with who their family WAS.. They were the Lupins! Sure Remus hadn't been the most rich person in the world, but once things evened out in the world, the rest of the family shone, and became people..

Just as quickly as the happy bubble had been formed inside of Faith, a happy bubble full of hope that she could get to go to this home of Khaat's, it was busted by a single thought. Her mouth shut, her shoulders hunched, and she literally deflated. "I can't.." She said shaking her head, looking around, her eyes taking in the home, the people, they made her so happy.. and she couldn't. "My father wouldn't let me.." She said after a moment. "I'm gone long enough as it is for him.. and he wouldn't want me to be gone all summer too, not mater how much I was being paid, he doesn't like me going out.." She said shaking her head, leaning back on the couch.

"It's really, really nice of you to offer it Mrs. Lupin.. but I can't... I don't work at Honeydukes during the summer.. but I have a job at a little muggle cafe near my house.. and that's almost as much as my dad can handle already.. I'll be fine with money." She said smiling at Khaat, trying to look cheerful again, she could just imagine seeing Abbey everyday, living like a princess with these people, but it couldn't happen, her father wouldn't ever let her do something as crazy as move in with a family of people who were so magical it was almost blinding. Besides.. her father had plans for her that summer.. and even during break.. he wouldn't let her out of his site for a second if he could get her there.

Khaat and Brian could see how much Faith wanted this, and to them it spoke volumes about her situation. For her to be that eager to jump in to a position with more about it that the didn't know than what she did know. Her remarks that working in a muggle cafe was as much as she knew her dad could stand fit in with the cigarette burn on her arm.

"Alright," Khaat smiled, knowing her own course of action that she would take. "But the offer is there if you ever want it."

"Come eat!" Michael called from the dining room. He'd made a classical chicken in white wine sauce, with a beautiful risotto, and a lovely tossed salad of mixed baby greens with a roasted red peper caesar dressing. He hadn't brought dessert out yet, but it was ready.

"Michael, its beautiful," she said.

"Its just simple ingredients," he said. "Simple ingredients made well is all it takes. Sit down and have all you like. There's plenty. There are pitchers of lemonade, a white wine spritzer, and iced tea. Whatever you like."

Brian picked up Abbey from her hiding spot uner Otto and brought her into the dining room. He flicked his fingers at one of the dining room chairs and made it into a high chair for Abbey and put her there. Abbey ended up between Faith and Khaat, with Brian across from Abbey. Michael ended up beside Brian.

Michael served a little plate and a tiny salad to Abbey first and then served plates to the others. Abbey didn't wait. She began eating the salad, She was still using her fingers to eat, but she ate almost anything given to her. Even salad. And she was rarely ever a problem at the dinner table.

Brian and Khaat looked at each other and laughed.

"Whats the matter?" Michael asked. "Don't know how to act without a food fight at the table?" Brian nodded. That was exactly the issue. They missed the food fight.

"Thank you Mrs. Lupin.. it's a kind offer." She said smiling at her, and than looking around excited when it was called that food was ready. Faith stood up, clapping her hands together and got herself into the kitchen someone, shuffled around, until she finally got a chair, and sat down. "Wow! This looks wonderful!" She said sitting down and picking up a napkin, folding it onto her lap, her eyes roaming over the table. She had seen some amazing food at Hogwarts, but never in such a setting, she just felt.. happy. Like she was supposed to be there.

Vaguely, Faith wondered if that's how Chase had felt.. if she was okay with her being apart of this family, after all, it was Chase's family, she didn't want to take her spot.. just because she looked like the girl. Faith felt bad.. the family was sitting here, laughing and talking, but in all of their minds they must have been thinking about Chase.. how could they not? She didn't even know her and it was all that was on her mind.

They seemed so happy, and Faith kept a grin on her face, she ate until she was absolutely stuffed, and would often sit and make jokes, and laugh at one person's joke, and pass food to someone else, she couldn't believe how happy she was with this family, how much she fit in. Her jokes fit with theirs, she fit with them.. she was happy with them, they seemed cool with her.. and she couldn't help but feel better, like she had been missing something, and being here made her find it. Faith lifted her fork to her mouth and sighed, leaning back in her seat, and looking at her empty plate. "I'm full."

"And thats the way its supposed to be," Michael laughed.

"Cake!" Abbey bounced in her chair. "Cake! Cake!"

"Did you hear anything?" Michael teased, looking all around at nothing.

"Uncaa Mikeeeey!!!" the suspense was killing her. "You say! You say cake! Pink cake!!"

"Nah," he shook his head. "Green. Not pink. Green cake." Abbey scowled. She knew he was teasing, and she was all done with it.

"You say pink cake," she said firmly. Brian burst out laughing. He looked at Khaat.

"She is definitely your child," Brian said to her. Khaat nodded. Michael went into the kitchen.

"Well, I bet I have pie, or donuts, or tarts, or..." he began

"You say pink cake!" she demanded now, irked with him. Khaat and Brian couldn't stop laughing now. A moment later, he brought out a beautifully decorated pink cake. It looked like a box, with a lid, and out of the lid hung a snow white toy kitty--all done in cake and frosting. It was lovely. Abbey's eyes were as big as saucers.

"Mine!" she said softly, fascinated.

"Yes," Khaat said. "Its all yours." Michael put two little pink candles on it and lit them. "Okay," Khaat said. "Make a wish and blow out the candles." Abbey took a moment, closed her eyes, made her wish and blew out the candles.

"I wish for more cake!" she told them happily.

"I like that wish," Brian said. Michael sliced the cake and gave the first slice to Abbey and then gave out the rest of the slices. He'd made a strawberry cake with strawberry jelly filling--so it was pink on the inside and the outside.

Faith stopped for a moment, as the cake was brought out, and the candles were blown out. Everyone was happily chatting away, and Faith took a long moment to stare at the family. Her entire life she had gotten used to the fact that her father would sometimes get rough with her... She had bruises often on her arms and abdomen where he had hit her.. and he had done other things.. things he told her not to tell anyone.. from a very young age.. not that her mother knew all that.. not that her mother cared. But here was a family in front of her, a family who had no problems, they looked so happy. Sure the mum got randomly chased by werewolves, and the grand father was the Minister of Magic.. but still..

Faith felt so cozy here.. and she never felt cozy at home, sitting back in her chair, picking silently at her pink cake, she smiled whenever anyone would look at her, but she was troubled. THIS was supposed to be how families acted.. not like her own.. nothing like her own. Brian didn't touch Abbey in any way that could harm her.. or in any other way.. only with pure parent love. They laughed, they joked, they smiled a lot.. Faith wasn't exactly used to seeing adults smile.. at least not in a home setting, then again, she wasn't used to seeing any of this in a home setting, unless you counted Hogwarts as her home.

Sitting up straighter, she frowned slightly and took a bite of her cake, watching everyone. She wondered if they realized that she wasn't used to this kind of stuff. Faith found herself looking down at her clothes, and she immediately felt her face heat up. They were all wearing beautiful clothing, with wonderful accessories, and were all simply gorgeous, she had rips, and the bottom of her shirt was frayed, and there was a cigarette burn on her shoulder. She touched the burn hole, and felt the scar peak through from where her father had burned her because she had missed curfew by two minutes.

Faith stared at her hands sadly, her own shame welling up inside of her, she shouldn't be here.. this wasn't her place. But she wasn't about to leave, because that would be rude.. she'd wait until supper was done, then she would ask if she could get a walk back up to the castle.

"Michael," Khaat said, "What'd you do with those two boxes I left here?"

"They're in your closet upstairs," Michael said. "I've been meaning to bring them to you."

"I think I'll just take them with me," she said.

"Take a bag from my closet then," he said to her.

"Do you mind?" She asked Brian.

"Like you need them," he laughed waving her away.

"Faith, do you mind giving me a hand?" she asked. "It might take a bit to pack." She motioned to Faith and went upstairs to the old bedrooom she shared with Rob when she was married to him. She accio'd a green canvas messenger bag from Michael's room, opened the closet in her room, and drew out two sizeable cardboard boxes. "I left these here when I moved out. I need to get this stuff out of Michael's way," she said. She opened the boxes. One box was loaded with jeans, shorts, khakis, dress slacks, skirts, shoes, boots, and the second was loaded with shirts, camis, tanks, sweaters, jackets, scarves, shawls, dresses, pajamas, and a box of colorful costume jewelry she didn't wear anymore.


Then she looked at Faith. "Okay, look. I didn't set you up for this. The boxes really were here. But no, I don't need any of these things. And they look about your size. You can have anything you want, and as much of it as you want. I'll send you a trunk. If you like, at the end of the school year, you can have your things shipped to me. I'll keep them over the summer and send them back to the school at the start of term in the fall. And anything else that you don't want to take with you back to the muggle world.

"And, yes, that includes any monies that you don't want to take back. I'll help you open a Gringotts account. You can leave the key with me if you want. No muggle can ever again get ahold of anything you dont want them to have. No muggle can ever enter this world without permission of the Ministry. You know that. And right now, that means they'd have to get past me or my father. And that's just not going to happen. I can see you felt alone, but the bottom line here is that you don't have to be alone anymore--unless you choose to be.

"Brian and I have everything we want. We enjoy helping kids in need. Thats how we met Chase. And a lot of other kids. Its just part of what we do. What I'm saying is that we're here--if you'll let us be."

Faith looked up when she was requested to help and she nodded, pushing away from the table quickly and following up the stairs after Khaat, looking at everything with fascination as she passed it. She smiled when she saw the boxes that had been filled with clothing. Beautiful clothing, pretty dresses, nice jeans, expensive muggle brands, and odd wizarding brands. Everything, so much.. and Khaat owned it all. Faith was envious, she owned at the most a good pair of short shorts, she liked the shorts, and so did her father.. and a few good shirts left for when she needed to do something really important. Faith felt her hand run over the fabric of a shirt before Khaat started to speak.

Her eyes went wide at what she was saying, and her eyes flicked from first Khaat to the boxes of clothing and then back. She spoke to nicely, and Faith could feel herself backing away from it all. Her eyes scanned over the boxes again. "I couldn't possibly take so much from you.." She said shaking her head, and looking up at Khaat. "I'll be alright, honestly Mrs. Lupin.. I don't own very many nice things.. but I do have stuff... I just.." Faith stammered, before she shook her head, looking away from Khaat and around the room that was so beautifully decorated.

"It's very nice of you to offer Khaat.. but it's alright, honestly." She said, putting on a big smile. "You don't have to go to all that trouble for me, I'll be fine." She smiled at her and sat down on the edge of the bed, stretching her legs out in front of her. Her emotional state changed. She went from being slightly nervous and flighty, to a simple smile, with an innocent look. Faith didn't speak about herself to strangers, she didn't let them know what was going on in her life, and she wasn't about to just spill her story for some woman. "I'll be alright.. thank you though."