Chapter 1
“Why did we have to move my last year of school? I won’t know anyone and won’t know any of the curriculum. Why couldn’t I just stay in New York? I’m of age in the wizarding world, I could finish out my last year at Ilvermorny and Abbey offered to let me stay with her family during the holidays,” Brigid argued with her mother Ella Fitzgerald.
“We couldn’t leave you behind, your brothers and sisters would have insisted they stay,” Ella answered her oldest daughter.
“That’s not fair!” she whined, knowing she sounded like her five-year-old sister Mary.
“We are a family and will stay as one,” Ella snapped, her eyes glinting with anger. Brigid sighed and knew she would get nowhere arguing with her mother. When Ella Fitzgerald’s Irish flared, no one could get in a word edgewise.
“Brigid, give it up, we are going to finish school at Hogwarts.” Her twin brother Benjamin sighed. The two looked the same with their bright red hair and blue eyes, but that is where the similarities stopped. Ben was six foot five and built like a tank, Brigid was five feet tall and thin as a whip with her mother’s voluminous chest. Both played for their house Quidditch team, Ben played Keeper, and Brigid played Seeker. Scouts in America had been trying to recruit Ben before they moved.
“How are we to be sorted?” Brigid demanded, not giving up on trying to convince her mother this move had been an awful idea.
“Pop said the headmistress would come by tomorrow to sort us into the houses. Except Andy and Joy because they will be sorted along with the other first-year students at the beginning of the school year,” Ben answered, heading outside to finish helping their father bring in the last of the boxes.
“Brigid, come help me,” Hal Fitzgerald called.
“Yes, Papa!” she called back and followed her brother out to their car.
...
James Sirius Potter looked out his window after finally waking up and to his surprise he saw a family moving into the house next door. He caught sight of a mountain of a boy around his age, bend down to pick up four boxes as if they weighed nothing. A very tiny girl walked behind him carrying one box.
“James, get up and dressed, we are going to meet our new neighbors,” Ginny Potter called through his door.
“Yes Mum,” he replied, reaching for the first shirt he found which smelled clean. He stumbled into the bathroom to brush his teeth before running into Albus.
“Did you see how many kids moved in next door?” Al asked, his eyes shining with excitement.
“No, I only saw two,” James replied quickly brushing his teeth.
“James, Albus, Lily, we need to go now!”
“Coming, Dad!” James called back and the two boys went down to the front door to meet their parents.
“I met the mother, Ella Fitzgerald, this morning. She said she has eight children, all sets of twins,” Ginny informed her family, hefting a huge batch of her famous cinnamon buns.
“Eight?” Lily asked, her eyes widening with shock.
“How is that surprising? You have five uncles on my side,” Ginny replied, ushering her children out the door.
“Still a lot,” Lily grumbled, sulking behind her mother.
