A Birth day

Ruby walked down the stairs and over to Marcus as he said he wanted to teek her oitfit " thank you " she said smiling then seeing Edwrad she smiled again " and to you too , you know we wouldn't ask but its important for the girls" she added as she moved to fetch Caprice from her room, fresh changed and dressed in a cute outfit. " well here she is" Ruby said chukaling as Caprice tried to grab her earring as she handed her to Edwrd " we can give her breakfast before we go " she added moving to pick up a bottle for Caprice who took hold of it and drank it down.

Hearing Angus and Marcus she chuckled " oh I can just see that us all wind swept and clothing all over the place as we step out " she said and laughed which turned to a smile " you re coming too right?" she asked Marcus knowing he certaily would as their bosyguard and freind to the girls.

"Yes, I guess I'd better," Marcus said. When the rest of the rolls were glazed and cooled, Angus packaged up a generous, large package of them. He temporarily shrank the package so it was more portable, figuring he would resize it when they got to the castle. That left them just enough time to port to France. Marcus knew where the castle was, so Angus let Marcus do the porting.

Marcus ported them to a wizarding carriage company not all that far from the castle.

"I realize we could have ported right there but this is about doing it properly, and arriving properly is just as important as how you dress today," Marcus told them. "Come with me." He led them inside, and he rented a proper horse drawn coach for them. This one was a powder blue with white and gold trim and a pair of white horses. "You four will ride inside, and I will ride with the driver," he instructed them.

"Now, let me give you just a lesson or two, Ladies on getting in and getting out. Etiquette says that Ruby and one of the girls will ride in the forward facing seat, with Ruby on the right, closest to the street. The second girl will sit across from her sister, on the back facing seat, and, Angus, you will sit on the outside. You will get in last, and you'll get out first so you can help the ladies in and out. The step is a bit small, so its important you all rest the ball of your foot on the step as you get in and out. It isn't big enough for your whole foot. Got that? I'll be there to lend a hand, so stay seated until I open the door."

Ruby walked with Ginger and Angus as Marcus ported them to the wizarding carriage company and over to a beautiful powder blue with white and gold trim carrage with a pair of white horses hooked up at the front. She listened to Marcus as the door was opened. climbing in with Marcus help Ruby sat where he had told her too sit as Ginger sat next to her. She smiled seeing Anise sit beside Angus and the door closed " wow this is exciting" she said softly " I have never ridden in a carrage this fancy before" she said with a chuckle as it rocked as Marcus climbed up to where the driver sat and the carrage started to roll down the road towards Beauxbatons school.

She looked out the window and watched as the scenery rolled past them " not the most effishant way to get to the school but I guess the most elegant." she said and looked over at Angus and Anise.

"And not the most comfortable either," Angus laughed, "but I daresay there isn't one muggle who would say riding on a broomstick was comfortable either, if you're honest about it."

"What do we say to her? We don't speak French," Anise said, now becoming more nervous the closer they got.

"Calm," Angus said to her, taking her hand. "Breathe. You have nothing to be nervous about. Just be yourself..."

"We've spent our lives being taught we were animals. How can we ever be good enough..." she was frustrated and frightened.

"Now, you listen to me. You are not an animal. You're human, just like Ruby and I are," he told her. "Madam Maxine speaks very good English. You don't need to speak French today. She works with all kinds of children, and I'm sure they don't start out being polished. You are good enough just as you are. Be yourself."

"If I am not good enough, just as I am, then I don't want to go there anyway," Ginger said. Anise breathed out and nodded. The castle came into sight, and the closer they got, the bigger the castle got. It was the biggest thing either girl had ever seen in their lives.

"Calm," Angus told them. "Don't let the size of the castle intimidate you." When they carriage pulled up, they sat still for a moment, and then a man in a powder blue suit and powder blue robes opened the carriage door.

"Welcome to Beauxbatons," he told them, speaking English but having a thick French accent. "I am Deputy Headmaster, Professor Gervaise Bastien. Madame Maxime asked me to meet you and escort you to her today."

"Thank you," Angus said, getting out. He and Marcus took a moment to first help Ruby out, followed by Anise and Ginger. . "I'm Angus Donohue, this is my fiance Ruby, and my daughters Ginger and Anise. This is Mr. Belby, a family friend."

"Pleased to meet you all. Mr. Belby, I already know," Professor Bastien said. "What a pleasant surprise to see you again, Mr. Belby."

"We met at a Christmas ball several years ago," Marcus said. "Nice to see you again, Professor."

Ruby saw the nervusness of Ginger and reatched out to take her hand in her own. " you are good enough" she said with a smile. As they pulled up she saw the door opwn and waited for Angus and Marcus to get out helping them down too , Ruby hooked her arm around Angus's and smiled " pleasure to meet you Professor Bastien" she said as she was introduced.

She stood and listened to him talk to Angus and Marcus and smiled at the mention of the yule ball. " must have been a wonderful affair" she said but then staid quiet as they were lead inside her eyes fixed on the magnificed decor around her the golds and paintings that adorned the walls. she could not help a soft "Wow" that slipped from her lips as they folowed Professor Bastien threw the halls she also saw several girls walking around the halls in their light blue uniforms and she smiled proudly thinking of Anise and Ginger in them too.

"It was indeed," Professor Bastien smiled. "Our magical government asked if we would host the ball, and, of course, the various ministers of magic were invited."

"And Beauxbatons was a phenomenal host," Marcus said, following. They walked through the halls, up the stairs and down more hallways and finally into an outer office. A pert young secretary, dressed in a light blue, finely crochetted sweater dress was sitting at the desk, attending to a stack of paperwork with a white quill.

"Have a seat," the professor said to them.

"Bonjour, Perle," Professor Bastien addressed her. "This is Mr. Donohue and his family. They are here for their appointment with Madame Maxime."

"Bonjour," Perle said to them. "I'll let Madame know you are here. One moment." She got up and went into the interior office. She was gone for a moment. While she was gone, Angus resized the gift tin while Marcus cast some touch up spells to make sure everyone's appearances were perfect, and then Perle came out and looked at them. "Madame will see you now. If you all would follow me, please." Angus followed her, with the girls following, and Marcus bringing up the rear. He now carried the large tin of cinnamon rolls.

The office was done in soft shades of ivory. It was formal, but, at the same time, Angus thought it clearly had been planned to have some warmth. A good thought for working with children and families. There was a sitting area with a sofa and some chairs, and then, not far from that, was a round table where a formal tea was being laid by what Angus firmly believed were a pair of veela women, dressed in almost dazzling white.

Madame Maxine stood up, and Angus' best estimates were that she was probably close to twelve foot tall. It immediately reminded him of how much taller she was than Hagrid had been. And Hagrid had towered over them as it was. She came around the desk, and, smiling, she offered Angus her hand in greeting, and then shook hands with everyone else, one at a time, as Angus introduced them all to her.

"I have heard so much about you already that I feel like I know you all," she smiled. "Welcome to Beauxbatons. Come sit and tell me about your unique situation, and let us see if there is anything we can do to help you. Our tea will be ready in a moment, so until then, please make yourselves comfortable." She motioned to the sitting area. She selected an armchair for herself, and Angus suggested that the girls and Ruby take the sofa, and he and Marcus would sit in the other armchairs.

"Oh, Madame Maxine, we brought you just a small token gift," Angus said. Marcus handed her the large tin.

"For me? How kind of you," she seemed surprised. She felt the warmth of the tin and seemed mystified for a moment. Then she opened the tin and saw layers of warm, freshly baked gigantic cinnamon rolls. "Mon dieu! They're the biggest cinnamon rolls I have seen since I left my childhood home. They smell wonderful. This takes me back to my mother and my grandmother. Merci. Did I hear correctly that one of you is a chef?"

"That would be me," Angus said.

"Now, wait. I heard you were a fighter and you were basically Robert Lupin's chief of staff," she said.

"Yes, that would be me too," he laughed.

"A man of many talents, then?"

"We all have many talents," he smiled. She closed the tin and put it on the coffee table.

"Well, sit, and let us discuss things. I understand your daughters would like to enroll in Beauxbatons, yes?"

Ruby followed with Ginger and Anise staying close beside Angus and Marcus as they made their way to an office. She watched as the woman secetary left them and Marcus tidied them all up to make them look presentable. " thank you, Marcus, I'm still nervous" she admitted to him. But once the secretary returned she made herself stand tall and confident beside Angus as they were led into the most elegant of sitting rooms.

Moving to the couch she let Ginger and Anise sit down on either side of her while she sat in the middle letting Angus do the talking. When Madame Maxine said Angus was a man of many talents she smiled " that he is Madam Maxine." she said with a smile. with her hands resting on her lap she sat in a formal pose. But she ahd been taken aback at how large Madam Maxine actualy was since all she had seen was Hagrid and this woman towered above even him. When she spoke of the girls Ruby nodded " thats correct" she told her

"I received a letter from Daniella, and she included a letter from Deputy Minister Lupin. He explained how the girls came to live with you, and that he has been doing some tutoring of the girls. He states the girls have completed, in the last year, the first four years' worth of magical studies of some of what he believed were the most important subjects to be covered. Is that correct?"

"Yes, Madame," Anise answered.

"And before that, your mother provided home instruction with some used primary school textbooks, so you know rudimentary things such as reading, writing, mathematics. What else?"

"Some science, history, geography, some limited Latin--enough that we could have a bit of understanding of what incantations can mean," Ginger replied.

"Excellent. And I understand you both suffer from lycanthropy?"

"I don't know that we suffer," Anise said.

"They do have lycanthropy but it is well controlled with wolfsbane," Angus said. "They have not had any transformations since they came to live in my house."

"And I hear you have a young child. You do not fear the girls being around the young child?"

"No, we do not," Angus said. "They babysit her whenever we need to. We trust them completely."

"And their parents are dead?"

"Their mother is dead. Their father gave us guardianship because we could provide better for them," Angus replied. "He's a good man, and he is welcome in our home or to take the girls to visit whenever he likes."

"And what do you hope to do with your lives in a couple of years when you are adults?"

"I want to be a fighter-like Angus," Anise said.

"An admirable choice," Madame Maxine nodded. "And you, Ginger?"

"I want to be a healer--with special skills with animals."

"Very noble indeed. And there are not enough of such healers these days. So why do you want to do home schooling?"

"I doubt we'd fit in with the girls our age," Anise sighed. "We work hard, but we...we haven't had the same years of magic schooling that these girls have. We know Evie and Faith, and we're friends. They accept us as we are, and Evan and Tara are like an uncle and an aunt to us. We want to be able to pass the exams to get the schooling needed for the careers we want. But having friends helps."

"They do indeed," she smiled. She watched the veelas leave the table and stand at attention over near the door finally, waiting for instruction. "Well, shall we go have some tea and continue our conversation over at the table?" She stood and led them over to the table. Angus followed, and she chose to sit Anise on her right and Ginger on her left, allowing Ruby and Angus and Marcus to sit, then wherever they liked at the table.

Angus saw there was coffee, tea, and a nice assortments of tea sandwiches and tea pastries. This was, for all practical purposes, a proper afternoon tea, but done in mid morning. He watched Madame Maxime give a subtle signal, and the veelas returned quietly offering to serve each guest their choice of tea or coffee and whatever sandwiches or pastries they would like to start with.

Ruby smiled at the girls as they spoke about what they wanted to do as adults and was proud of their choices. she listened when Angus spoke on her behalf about the fact they trusted both girls explicitly around Caprice which she didn't disagree about. " we can provide documentation as proof that their father did give us guardianship of his own free will." she added.

Moving to the table she let Angus pull out her chair as she sat down between Marcus and Angus as the veelas pored out thsir tea and placed sandwiches and pastries on their plates she watched Ginger and Anise smiling , though Ruby waited for everyone to be served once she they were done she picked up her cup raising her pinky as she took a small sip then placed it back down hoping she was not making a fool of herself in front of Madam Maxine with her limited knowlage of tea etiquette since she went to Hogwarts and not Beauxbaton.

"We can collect that as part of the enrollment application," she smiled at Ruby. "So, as the girls' parents, how do you envision this working?"

"As the girls told you, my brother's daughters are already being homeschooled through Beauxbatons," Angus said. "Evan and I have discussed us porting our girls to Evan's during the week to attend school with Evie and Faith. Ruby and I and our children share my grandfather's Tuscan house, though we actually live in England most of the time. That does, though, provide the girls with safe, secure, supervised housing for any nights they might need to remain in Tuscany instead of coming home. They're welcome to stay with my brother, or my grandfather's servants are more than capable of taking care of the girls. Rosaria and Carlo were a huge part of my own childhood, and I trust them with my life and with the kids. Because of his line of work, you understand, my grandfather has made sure that the estate is very, very secure."

"So you don't envision attendance or completion of studies to be any sort of problem?"

"No. None at all," Angus said firmly.

"I find I have a little curiosity," she said, looking at the girls. "What's your relationship with Edward Donohue. I'm sure you know his line of work..."

"He's the only grandfather we've ever known," Anise said. "If you mean to ask if we have any fear of him because he's a slayer? No. None at all. He loves us, and we love him."

"The house in England that we live in is a duplex," Angus explained. "We have one side, and Edward and his wife, my step-grandmother, has the other. The door between both sides is almost always open, and all of us come and go as we wish. They're part of our daily lives," Angus said.

"I should have expected no less. Believe me, no offense was intended," she said.

"None taken," Ginger said. "We spent our entire lives living with a werewolf pack until we moved in with Angus and Ruby. We know that when people first find out about our story, they tend to look at us, looking to find out if we're feral little monster girls. Under the circumstances, we expect these questions from everyone. You were respectful, so we take no offense. Ask what you like. However, we're not as polished as some of the girls we've already seen going through the halls..." Madame Maxime smiled warmly and laughed.

"I'll tell you a secret," she said to the girls. "They weren't any more polished than you are right this minute until we taught them. And at times, they still aren't. I'll tell you what. You give me an hour or two of your time to complete a general assessment exam so that I can evaluate for myself what your strengths and your needs are, and then we'll come back together, and I'll know better just how ready you are. In the meantime, I'll have Professor Bastien take your parents on a brief tour of the school and the grounds while you're busy."

"An exam?" Anise was now suddenly very nervous.

"You can do this," Angus said quietly, not wanting them to be too nervous to handle the test well. "Just like any of Robert's exams. You just do your best. That's all anyone can ever ask," Angus said. Anise looked at him and nodded. Madame Maxime rang for Perle, and Perle appeared in a moment. She asked Perle to take the girls to a classroom for the assessment exam and asked her to send Professor Bastian back in.