Pride

[Madeline Speare]

"No, not a chance," Madeline murmurs softly, taking hold of Abby's hand in hers and making her daughter let go of the beetle she was about to put into her mouth. "Your not eating that,"
Sticking out her bottom lip, Abby glances up at her mother, wide-eyed. "Why?"
"Cos it's dirty,"
"Why?"
Rolling her eyes, Madeline had a feeling that this conversation could go on for hours if she kept at it,"Enough questions baby girl," She murmurs softly, before tilting her head back to call over her shoulder,"Alexander Rowan Gideon, don't even think about jamming that beetle up your nose,"
Alex sighs dramatically, flicking the beetle away and pulling a face at his mother's back.
She knew she should have left both of them with Kris, dragging them along had been too much of a hassle. Besides, the only reason she was even here was because Poppy. It seemed that her thirteen year old step-daughter had grown fond of blowing things up in Potions. Madeline could not see a problem with that, seeing as she herself enjoyed the occasional exploding cauldron back when she was in school.
"So am I coming here next year mum?" Alex asks, racing to keep up with her.
"Not if you keep shoving beetles up your nose," Madeline nods seriously, hoisting Abby up higher into her arms.
"What?!"
"Gotcha," Madeline grins, ruffling her son's hair,"Course you will, you'll be a lion."
Alex grins, racing ahead of his mother and sister, and bellowing, "ROAR!" to anyone that was around.

[Poppy Hunt]

"Quiet Alex! You'll disrupt the students mating rituals!" Poppy bellowed across the grounds.
She knew she was in trouble, or at least she was supposed to be in trouble because when they call your parents into school it's supposed to mean that you're in deep shit. Poppy wasn't all that worried.

When they'd told her that her step-mother was coming in to have a word, she'd danced all the way back to the common room. She wouldn't be in trouble with Maddie, or at least too much of it. She would, however, be not as good if they'd said that her dad was coming in to have a word, because then she would be in trouble. Or at least he'd try and be mad at her and then she'd win in the end. It was always the way.

This way was much better though, because Abby and Alex were here too and Maddie was here and this was going to be fun and maybe she wouldn't be bored today.
She skidded to a halt next to Alex, patted him on the head, and then kept running until she reached Maddie and Abby, "Greetings. Let me start by saying that I didn't do it."

[Madeline Speare]

Madeline grins wryly, placing her hands over Abby's ears before answering her step-daughter,"And let me say that, that m'dear is complete and utter bull shit,"
She laughs softly, brushing her lips lightly over Poppy's forehead,"Good to see you firecracker,"
Setting Abby on the ground, Madeline keeps an eye on Alex as he starts to wander around the grounds,"Oi, knock it off mister, you're already in enough hot water as it is,"

Alex merely glances over at his mother, pulling a face at her.
"I'm not in trouble at the moment," He makes a exaggerated hand motion at Poppy. "She is,"

[Poppy Hunt]

She gasped exaggeratedly, clapping her hand over her mouth as if she was shocked by this.
Then she grinned, hugging her lightly, "It's good to see you too. I'm so bored. When can I come home again? When is it summer? Oh when? Oh when?"
She knew exactly how long it was until summer, as she'd been counting down with excruciating accuracy. Just over a month to go now until she could come home.

Poppy laughed, "What's he done? What's he done? Why's he in hot water? Lexi what did you do?" She called the last part over to her brother.
She couldn't help it. She'd been overexcited since birth, but particularly when something good like this happened. Maybe she'd have to blow up cauldrons more often.

[Madeline Speare]

Laughing softly, Madeline moves her arm lightly around Poppy, hugging her lightly back and doing her best not to squish Abby in the process.
"You'll be home soon enough, what the school boring you already? Are you just that egar to home and blow something up there?" She asks, teasingly raising an eyebrow at her.

"Used your father's wand again, we have to get another back door,"

[Poppy Hunt]

"Yes!" She laughed, "It's boring here and no one does interesting things. Oh, is that permission to blow things up at home? I take this as permission, you know that right? Thank you Maddie, I love you," She grinned.

She contemplated this news a moment, then snorted with laughter and covered her mouth with her hand. "Really? That's awesome."
"Alex!" She bellowed over to him, "I love you man!"

[Madeline Speare]

"Oh for the love of-..." She chuckles softly, putting her hand to her forehead, hoisting Abby higher in her arms.
Abby grins, reaching out for Poppy, before glancing at me,"BILL!" She bellows.

Lightly ruffing her hair, Madeline puts on the best serious face she can manage."Don't encourage him,"
Alex grins wryly, before dashing across the field.
"Do they really have a squid!?" He calls over his shoulder.

[Poppy Hunt]

"Abby!" Poppy laughed, hugging her little sister lightly while not taking her out of Maddie's arms at the same time.
She didn't like holding children, as she knew how much of a clutz she was and didn't want to break her by mistake, so this was about as close as she ever got.

"But it's cool! And like he'd listen to anything I have to say anyway," She grinned.
Laughing, she called back, "Yeah! But he's friendly so you can go and swim with him if you want!"

[Madeline Speare]

"Don't encourage her calling you that," Madeline scolds, setting Abby down, and steadying her on her feet, before glancing back at Poppy,"She'll never call you anything else then," She grins, brushing Abby's dark brown hair back off her forehead.

"Lex, stay away from the edge!" Madeline calls over to him, frowning as Alex peers over the edge of the bank.

[Poppy Hunt]

"Oh, I don't mind being Bill for the rest of me natural," Poppy beamed, "It could be much worse."

She glanced over at Alex, leaning over the edge of the lake and looked back at Maddie, stifling a grin and biting her lip, "Can I push him over the edge? Please?"
She was half-joking.

[Madeline Speare]

"Alright then," Madeline laughs, watching Abby sit down at their feet before jamming her thumb into her mouth. "Abby," Madeline scolds, kneeling down and pulling her hand away/

Glancing back at Alex, Madeline laughs softly,"No Poppy,"

[Poppy Hunt]

"Like this," Poppy nodded conspiratively down at Abby, jamming her own thumb in her mouth and raising her hand to shield this from Maddie's view, "You have to be inconspicuous if you want to do that."

"Are you sure? I'll go in after him, I swear. It won't be the first time I've gone in. It's really not that bad," She grinned.

[Madeline Speare]

Shooting Poppy a wry grin, Madeline waves her away with her hand,"Oh stop. She's going to be the good one,"
She was only joking of course, she thought her children were alright, as long as they had morals, which many of them did, she felt they would be okay.

Madeline had to resist the urge to shudder. She had never been a fan of the water. Even after all these years she still hadn't learned to swim.
"Poppyseed, what have we said about telling me things that we know you should keep to yourself?"

[Poppy Hunt]

"Pfft, as if," Poppy grinned, "We'll have her just like us in no time."
She wasn't sure who 'us' was exactly, possibly the whole family unit in general. Abby didn't really have much hope considering the rest of them.

"Uh...don't do it?" She supplied.

[Madeline Speare]

Madeline sighed dramatically, tilting her head back to look up at the skiy and she mumbled,"Lord, help me."
She glanced back at Poppy a moment later,"So, other then getting into trouble, congrats by the way, how you been babes?"

[Poppy Hunt]

"Thank you very much," Poppy tilted her head happily in response to her thanks, then tilted her head contemplatively in the other direction, "Oh I've been getting by."
Poppy had been quite well, as well as usual. She was homesick, but she was pretty sure that Maddie already knew that. She was bored, but she usually was, so no surprises there.
She wasn't that interesting a person, all things considered.

[Madeline Speare]

Madeline smiled weakly, reaching over pushing a loose strand of hair behind Poppy's ear. "You'll be home soon, don't worry."
She knew how muched Poppy missed being at home, and of course Madeline missed having her home as well.
It wasn't the same if the three of her children weren't there, and missing just one of them threw everything off balance.