Return of the Lost

Chapter 2 Welding of the Wands

We stepped out into the bright sunlight. As I looked down Diagon Alley, I asked, "Where should we go first?"

Aine and Bran yelled, "The Quidditch shop!"

"Animals!" was Briget's request.

"Why don't we get the wands at Ollivander's first?" Fred said.

As we made our way down the Gringotts steps, Fred explained that Old Mr. Ollivander had been killed in a Death Eater attack and his son now ran the shop.

Aine and Bran perked up at the thought of wands. I looked at Claudia but she seemed to be lost in thought.

We turned right at the bottom of the steps. We walked right past the Magical Menagerie. Briget really wanted to stop.

"We can look later sweetie, if there is time and everyone is good," I told her quietly.

Fred had taken the lead because it was so crowded we were pushed almost to the wall. Bran and Aine were holding on to Claudia and Fred. They had put the kids between them so no one would get lost. I was carrying Briget and George had Donn. I only glanced at Gambol & Japes as we passed. It was taking all of my concentration to fight through the crowd. I bet we look like a mama duck and with her chicks following behind. I bet Fred would not think that funny. I was chuckling about the thought of Fred's reaction when George called out from behind me.

"Are you doing ok?" he sounded concerned.

"I am fine, George," I called back to him.

Jut then Fred stopped and pulled a shop door open. I looked up and saw the 'Ollivander's fine wand makers' sign. We all hurried inside to escape the crowd. The shop was dark, not a lack of light but more overfilled I would think. There was a long counter in the middle of the room. Behind the counter were about eight or so floor to ceiling shelves it looked rather like a library. Only these shelves held wand boxes not books. As the door closed a man stepped out from between the shelves. He didn't look young, but not too terribly old either. This must be Mr. Ollivander the younger, I thought.

"Welcome Ms. Corrigan, little Corrigan's and Ms. Llewewllyn of course!" Mr. Ollivander said to us.

"Wands for four I assume," he said smiling.

"Yes Sir, It is nice to meet you," I said smiling back at him.

"Ms. Corrigan- Erin if I may; Would you like the children to go first?" he asked.

"Yes that would be fine." I was a little bit surprised at his lack of formality but at this point I felt that not much could surprise me.

"I'll go first, please let me!" Aine said while bouncing up and down exciedely.

"Step right up to the counter, young miss." Mr. Ollivander said as he stepped back to the far shelves. He pulled down six or seven wand boxes and set them on the counter.

As he pulled the first wand out, he said," Fir with unicorn hair."

Aine took the wand from him and the reaction was immediate. The wand shot multicolored sparkles as soon as Aine had a good grip on it.

Mr. Ollivander looked a bit surprised but pleased that she had found her wand on the first try.

With an extremely happy look on her face Aine walked back over and stood next to the rest of us. Mr. Ollivander wrapped the wand box and set it aside. "Now Bran, young master, would you step this way please?"

Bran stepped forward as Mr. Ollivander picked up on of the wand boxes he had brought out for Aine to try.

"Hazel with phoenix feather," he said as he handed the wand to Bran.

Again, the reaction was immediate. The wand shot two-toned stars out as Bran got good grip. This time Mr. Ollivander's eyebrows shot up. But he recovered quickly. Smiling he wrapped the wand box and set it on top of Aine's.

"Erin, would you like to go now?" he inquired, while still looking surprised.

"Sure I will," I said walking to the counter. He walked over to the nearest shelves and pulled out twelve wand boxes. I tried each one and no reaction, until the twelfth box.

"Now this wand is one of the last my father made before his death, it is Blackthorn and dragon heart string- very powerful," he looked doubtful that this wand would work either as he handed it to me.

Whoosh! Butterflies burst from the end of the wand. Beautiful red and gold butterflies. The air was humming and the wand felt warm. I looked at the wand; it was very plain save for the ivy carved into it and a bit of copper wrapping the grip. I looked closer at the carving and noticed that it went from the base and twined around almost to the tip.

Mr. Ollivander was looking quite shocked. But he cleared is throat and said, "Well I am two for three today aren't I?" Fred and George looked very confused at this comment.

"Muggle basketball boys, I'll explain the rules to you later, OK?" I said to them. They just nodded still looking very confused.

"Now Claudia, your turn, step right up," as he said this a look of questioning and wonder came across Mr. Ollivander's face. He swiftly turned and walked to the middle section of shelves. He walked back to the counter.

"This is one of the first wands I made after taking over the shop," he said to Claudia. He looked hopeful and confused at the same time.

"It's ...," he began but was drowned out by Donn screaming.

"Are we done yet? I want to go!" I turned to call him and missed what Mr. Ollivander was saying to Claudia. Fred and George helped me in calming Donn down. He kicked and screamed so loud that I couldn't hear what George was saying to him.

We all looked up as Aine cheered. Two-toned butterflies had flown from Claudia's wand. All five adults stood in shock. What in the world is going on here? I wondered.

Mr. Ollivander seemed rushed as we paid him for the wands and left. He was looking anxious as we made our way out the door. He was mumbling to himself but I couldn't quite make out what he was saying.

"What a nutter," George muttered in my ear.

As he did so, we brushed arms and my whole body felt tingly. What is going on? Why is he affecting me this way? I was worried. There were so many questions and so few answers.

We made our way back onto the street. I noticed Briget was falling asleep on George's shoulder and Donn had calmed down once we got outside. Aine and Bran were talking animatedly about brooms. I knew, no matter how worn out I was, that we would have to go to the Quidditch shop. We made our way back down Diagon Alley to Quality Quidditch Supplies and went in. Immediately Aine wanted a Nimbus 4000. The ad said, 'The Nimbus 4000 has all of the newest upgrades available!' Oh boy here we go, I thought.

I was right, the next thing I heard was a chorus of, "Mommy please can we have these Please!" This from Aine and Bran, who couldn't seem to contain themselves.

"No, I am sorry kids, you don't know how to fly and those are very fast racing brooms," I explained.

"We will teach them to fly, you can come to the Burrow for their lessons," George interjected.

"There are kid-size brooms over here, perfect to learn on," said Fred.

I walked over to where Fred had pointed and read the advertisement for the kid's brooms. It read, 'The Nimbus 5, perfect for small wizards and witches just learning to fly. The Nimbus 5 only goes one speed no matter how fast the child wishes to go. The Nimbus 5 is approved by The Department of Magical Education for children ages 5 and up. '

"Ok I give up; I can tell when I am outgunned," I said with a shake of my head. Oh boy I am in trouble! I thought with an amused smile.

"Ok I will let you have small, slow brooms to learn on. No racing brooms right now," at his their faces lit up with pleasure and I was fiercely hugged. They broke away from me and ran to hug George and Fred as well. It seems the kids learned very fast how to work Fred and George, those two won't deny the kids anything.

As I paid for the brooms Fred asked me," Do we really need to do anymore shopping today?" He looked very scared that I would say yes.

George replied," Erin, I promise I'll take you shopping in Hogsmeade tomorrow, all day if you want to." He had a look of pleading in his eyes. Oh my, those eyes! I think I am in more trouble than I thought.

"Ok the kids are tired and it is lunch time, so why don't we get something to eat and head home?" I asked sweetly. In reality I was thinking, George you don't know what you have signed up for do you?

"That sounds like a really good idea, but where is a good place to eat?" Claudia asked in her quiet way.

"The Three Broomsticks has fairly good food, we are flooing there anyway," Fred stated very quickly as if he didn't want me to have time to change my mind.

"Ok to the Three Broomsticks it is then," I replied, much to everyone's astonishment. They must have thought I would put up more of a fight to continue shopping. I am tired and want to go home, were my major thoughts at the moment.

So we made our way to the Leaky Cauldron and flooed to Hogsmeade. The Food was good at the Three Broomsticks and we quickly made our way around the corner to our new homes.

Fred and George led us down Hogsmeade Lane. They came to a stop and Fred said, "This is where Claudia and I need to go."

Claudia looked at the house we were standing in front of and gasped,"You have got to be joking!"

Chapter 3 Home

I looked at the house. It was a two story English cottage. It was made of stone and had pretty little flower boxes on the first story. There were also flowers along both sides of the flagstone path that led up to the front door. It wasn't huge but not tiny either. It looked like a dollhouse.

Claudia was stunned, "It 's perfect!" She said this through the tears. Fred looked very concerned and stepped forward to comfort her. She stepped back a bit and said, "No it's ok I am very happy. I just that I never expected a house like this, I could have had an apartment and been happy."

Fred still looked concerned but this time he stayed right were he was. I wonder what her story is; she seems very apprehensive about all of this. Wonder if she has been hurt before. I will find out what is bothering her. I vowed as I watched her reactions.

"We will come by your place tomorrow Erin, if that is alright," Fred looked more concerned with Claudia's well being than my answer.

I was concerned too so I said, "You are welcome anytime. We get up very early. " We said our goodbyes and watched the two of them walk inside. I was a bit worried about Claudia but George assured me that Fred would take care of her. Fred looks at Claudia as if he wants to scoop her up and hold her forever. He is in for a rough road I bet. But I couldn't voice my thoughts to George. We walked down to the next house. The first thing I noticed was a pretty picket fence around the front yard. I looked up at the house. My jaw dropped, I was at a loss for words.

"Wow! Is that our house Mommy?" Aine had said what everyone seemed to be thinking.

"Yes, Aine that's your home, do you like it?" George bent down to her level as he spoke.

"Oh, it is beautiful," Aine replied.

As they were talking I was examining the house. It was a much, much larger version of Claudia's. But it was not a manor house or anything. It looked to be about a four-bedroom house. The stonework was amazing. I knew it was a new home but it seemed to have that feeling about it, the one that says that it had been a happy home for many generations.

"How did they manage it?" I asked George.

"Manage what?" he replied clearly confused.

"The house looks like it has been here for a long time. I know these are all new houses. So how did they manage this?" I hoped he would have an answer for me.

"Magic can do amazing things when you know exactly what you want," was George's answer. Ok, I am even more confused now, I thought. But I am not going to question him further I want to get inside.

"Well we better get inside, I have loads of unpacking and organizing to do," I opened the front gate as I said this. We walked up the flagstone path; beautiful Bachelor Button flowers edged it. The flowerbeds along the front of the house had daffodils, geraniums, and white tulips. The flowers in the flower boxes weren't any that I could recognize or name.

The front door was emerald green. Oh, my favorite color! I will take this as a good sign. George knocked on the front door. I looked at him questionably but the reason for his knocking was made perfectly clear.

The door opened and there was a house elf! What in the world is going on? A house elf?

The elf looked right at me and bowed. This made me very uncomfortable. I looked to George for help. I didn't want to insult the elf by doing or saying the wrong thing. George saw my discomfort and said," Adele, this is Erin Corrigan."

Adele smiled at me and said, "It is a pleasure to meet you but please let us go inside. No need to stand on the front step of your own home." George, the kids and I all filed in after Adele. The foyer was big enough that all of us could stand comfortably in it. Adele spoke up, "The lounge is here, may we go in?" as she said this, she was pointing to an open doorway to the left side of the foyer. I nodded and followed her in. "Can I get you anything?" Adele asked.

"No thank you Adele," I replied still in shock that I had a servant. I looked around the room as we entered it. There were two big chocolate brown couches. A chair and a half with it's own ottoman also in chocolate brown. There was a toy box further down the room. I realized that it ran the whole side of the house. There were two end tables and a giant coffee table in the room as well. The only thing missing was artwork for the walls. I realized that Adele was watching me so I turned to her.

"I have unpacked your boxes and put most of your things away, I do hope that was all right?" Adele said this very quickly as if she expected punishment. But she got the farthest thing from punishment that is possible.

I started to cry, "Adele, you unpacked for me?" I was astonished and so happy at the same time.

"Y-Yes I-I did," she said fearfully.

"Oh Adele, thank you so much. I was so worried about all the unpacking. That is the one part of moving that I hate." I was still crying and now laughing at the same time.

Th kids were used to my reactions and were not worried. They continued to explore the room. They had found their toy box, opened it and begun to play.

George and Adele however weren't sure if I was really happy, really upset or just exhausted by the day's events.

George came over to the couch where I was sitting. He sat down next to me and put an arm around my shoulders. I turned my head into the bend of his neck and continued to cry. I haven't had help for so long. Yet here is Adele, already she has unpacked and put away all of our stuff. George seems ready to do anything for us as well.

I finally stopped crying and said, "I am sorry, I haven't had help since I was widowed and before that my husband's hours meant he didn't help much either." I was trying to explain my over- the - top reaction. Adele seemed to understand perfectly. George had a look on his face that surprised me. If I was reading that look correctly, he was determined to make it so I would never be on my own again. For about the twelfth time I thought, I am in trouble. But maybe I will enjoy this trouble. My face suddenly broke into a smile. I was going to be ok. George reached up and wiped the remaining tears from my face with a smile. My heart dropped to my stomach. I have never felt like this about anyone, what am I going to do? I didn't let my thoughts show on my face, I just smiled back at him. I broke eye contact to turn to Adele.

"Adele, could you show me the rest of the house please?" I asked her still smiling and still tucked up close to George.

"Yes, of course. The children will be fine right here. There are charms on everything including the doors," she replied quickly.

The three adults got up and walked back into the foyer. Adele explained that the door on the other side of the foyer was to the office, as she opened the door. It was beautiful. There was a mahogany desk in front of the window. On it was my computer! With a sound of happiness, I raced over to it.

"I learned about computers so I could hook it up for you Ms. Erin," Adele said proudly.

"Oh thank you Adele, and please call me Erin," I replied. She looked taken aback that I would allow that familiarity but then she smiled. Oh she is so sweet, I have to make sure we all show her how much we appreciate her work. I looked around the room as I was thinking. It had floor to ceiling bookshelves along two walls, a small fireplace and a big cushy chair and ottoman in the corner. "Oh it is perfect!" I exclaimed. All my books had been shelved so I walked over to them. She sorted them by author, then by series and genre. How did she know to do that?

I looked at her and she said, "There was a letter from a woman named Amy Urban with your books. She told me how you had them at your old house," Adele had answered my unasked question.

"Adele you are a gem, I can see that we will be very well taken care of. Thank you so much," I replied.

We went back to the foyer and followed the hall back to the kitchen. I loved the kitchen. It ran along the back of the house and there was a wide doorway that connected it to the lounge. It was big enough that my huge dining room was placed down on the left end, by the doorway. There was a beautiful, huge stone fireplace on the right wall. The room was done in shades of green.

"If you want to change anything, I can change it with a spell," Adele was looking worried again.

I smiled at her as I assured her, "Adele you have done a wonderful job, it is perfect. I will have plenty of room to do some muggle baking if I want to." She smiled and led us back to the foyer and up the stairs. As we made our way up I asked George, "What does Claudia's house look like inside?"

He replied, "a smaller version of yours I think."

Well either they made the job easier by replicating or there is something strange going on. But my thoughts were cut off when I saw the first of the kid's rooms.

It was the first room on the left, at the top of the stairs. It was beautiful. There was a four-poster bed, a matching dresser and vanity. There was a bookshelf and window seat as well. The entire room was done in shades of purple.

"Aine will defiantly claim this room. Her favorite color is purple!" I was astonished; again Adele had gotten it exactly right. We went to the room directly across the hallway. It was done the same way as Aine's but had no vanity and was done in shades of gray and black. "This one is defiantly Bran's room," I said noting the décor. We walked down the hall past two doors one on each side of the hall.

"These are the children's bathrooms, "Adele explained," They have doors leading into both bedrooms." As he said this she opened Donn's bedroom door. This one was done in shades of blue. Another perfect choice. I thought as I smiled at Adele. We looked in Briget's room - it was all pinks. At the end of the hall were French doors. Adele opened them and we stepped inside. I immediately sat down, right in the doorway.

George bent down and asked, "Are you ok?"

I started to laugh," Don't worry I am fine, but this it the perfect room. I couldn't have dreamt of a better one."

Adele looked overjoyed that I liked it. It was a larger version of the girl's rooms but with a fireplace and a reading area. There was another set of French doors leading to a porch-type area as well. I let George help my up so I could look around a bit more. It was done in jewel tones- peacock blue, amethyst, sapphire and ruby red. The connecting bathroom was absolutely gorgeous. There was a big Jacuzzi tub and a shower. A long counter top with a beautiful etched glass mirror above it. I looked closer it was ivy etched on the glass. There were plants hanging in baskets, on the counter, on the corner of the tub - basically everywhere. It was all ivy.

"Adele it is beautiful, you have worked so hard, and I don't know how you managed it all," I looked at her as I spoke and she blushed.

"It made me very happy to do it for you Ms. - I mean Erin," she replied, still blushing.

We finished our tour with a look in the walk in closet- all my clothes were already hung or folded and put away.

We made our way down stairs and I asked Adele, "But Adele, where are your rooms?"

"I was given a small cottage in the back. But do not worry all you need to do is call my name and I will hear you," she said this as if I was concerned as to how she would serve us.

The three of us peeked at the kids but they were still playing quietly. I wonder if there is a charm on the house to keep them from fighting? I laughed at my thought, if there was such a charm it may come in handy.

The backyard was as wonderful as the house. It was large and was fenced in. At the back was a line of trees. There was a small fenced garden just past Adele's little house, "Is that your garden Adele?"

"No, it is the herb garden for the house. Also there are silencing charms and wards just past the trees. That is so the train whistle can't be heard. The wards are so that if the children get past the fence they can't get to the train tracks."

Everything seemed to have been thought of and I said so to Adele.

" Oh no the wards and silencing charm were Mrs. Weasley's idea," she didn't seem to want me to credit her with this.

We stepped back inside and Adele started to make dinner.

George and I went back into the lounge and sat down on the couch to talk. He explained that his brother Ron, and his wife Hermione had worked together to make the area as safe as possible for the children. Hermione it seemed, heads the Ministry office in charge of Education. It was a new division, put together when Hogwart's was expanded. Ron was an assistant Headmaster; he oversees the younger children's classes. Albus Dumbledore was still Headmaster over the whole school though. He also told me that Claudia and I would need to meet with Professor Dumbledore and Assistant Headmaster Weasley the day after tomorrow. Adele called us for dinner and afterwards George stayed to help get all of the kids into bed. After Adele had gone home for the night, George said he needed to go as well but showed me how to Floo his flat if I needed him. He promised to be back in the morning to take me shopping.

"Good night George, thank you for everything today."

"No need to thank me, it was my pleasure Erin. See you in the morning," with that he was out the door and walking home.

I went up to my room and for a while stood on the porch and thought about how wonderful this all was. I realized I had better get some sleep if I wanted to get all of the shopping done the next day.

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