coffee (cici)

[itsaspaz]

Liam could not help but grin, he could not recall a happier moment in his life, he felt as if he could produce the best damn Patronus the world had ever seen. He finally released Cici after a few minutes, looking straight into her eyes, she too looked pleased, but also doubtful. "Go and start packing, I am going to call me mum." said Liam. It had been a bit longer than usual since he had had contact with them, and Liam was certain they would be delighted to get a call.

[* JAQI]

[blockqote]

Cici nodded, and then made her way to their bedroom the next door down. She pulled out her trunk from the closet and opened it. They day after she had gotten home she had magically unpacked everything. Cici now began to manually fold her surprisingly large collection of muggle clothing. She could have used a simple spell to make her clothes fold themselves and lay neatly in her trunk, but Cici needed something to do that would keep her mind off things. And so she went about packing the muggle way, folding and carefully laying clothes in her trunk. Cici figured she might as well take her whole wardrobe, it would be a long stay from now until when term began again.

[/blockquote]

[itsaspaz]

Liam watched his wife retreat to the bedroom to begin packing her things, once she had crossed the threshold of the door, he went the opposite direction into the kitchen where they had their wall-mounted telephone. He had just reactivated it (there was no use having it connected while he and Cici were away at Hogwarts) a few days ago, hopefully the phone company had had it turned on. Liam picked the phone up from its cradle, the tone buzzed in his ear. They had been more prompt than he expected. He dialed his parents' number, then listened to it ring. Once... Twice... Three times... "Hello?" said a man's voice on the other end. "Hello Dad, it's your favourite son," said Liam. His father laughed.

[* JAQI]

Cici began to hum to herself as she folded her clothes, smoothing them as she creased the edges so they would not wrinkle. She packed everything she could get her hands on, undergarments, socks, shorts, t-shirts, blouses, skirts, sweaters, everything. Cici was planning on taking her Divination supplies with her to monitor everything going on. Just because she was pregnant did not mean she was unable to do anything for the Order. Definitely place a Fidelus Charm on the location of her in-laws' cottage... Fold, fold, fold, Cici continued to hum quietly.

[itsaspaz]

"I was wondering when I would hear from you, your last letter was ages ago," said his father. Liam ran a hand through his hair, he probably should have thought about how he was going to phrase what he needed to say before dialing. "Listen, Dad, Cici and I need a favour. A huge favour," said Liam after a pause. He could hear his father's breathing on the other end. "Well, what do you need?" asked his father. He bit his lip, thinking a bit about how to say it. "Remember the war against an evil witch I told you about in my last letter?" said Liam, and without waiting for a response continued. "Cici and I are major targets, and we've just discovered that she is pregnant, we need a place for her to stay safe from what's going on," Silence from his father.

[* JAQI]

Cici finished folding up all her muggle clothes, and then added three sets of robes just in case she needed them. She pulled out her second, smaller trunk that held her divination supplies. Cici placed it on the bed in front of her as she sat cross-legged on the mattress. She undid the clasps keeping it shut and slowly lifted the lid. Safely packaged inside were her crystal ball, blue and white china tea set, a sizable bag of tea leaves, unused oracle bones, magical dust which produced fire omens when added to a grate, incense, and a dream decoding guide she hadn't opened in years. Cici double-checked to make sure these things were securely in their places before finally closing her trunk.

[itsaspaz]

Liam was beginning to interpret this silence as not being a good thing, but he heard his father laugh once more, which he took as a good sign. "When shall I expect to see me boy and his wife, then, eh?" said his father. Liam had to hold back a sigh of relief. He had figured his parents would be more than willing to provide a safe place for Cici to stay while. "As soon as I can get us on the ferry over there," said Liam. "I'm confident there will be one with enough room for us on it either today or tomorrow." There was a brief pause. "Good, good, your mum wants to talk to you, I'll see you soon." said Liam's father.

[* JAQI]

Cici placed her divination things aside before looking into her open trunk with all her clothing. She went to the desk and emptied it of all its parchment, quills, and bottles of ink. She would need enough to last her that entire time, she supposed that a refilling charm would do if she ran too low, but Cici liked to have extra just in case. Her recently bought cat wound between her legs as she positioned the things so the ink bottles wouldn't break. Cici smiled at the solid orange short-hair, she had named him Leif. Both her and Liam's owls sat perched atop the wardrobe, sleeping with their heads tucked under their wings. Hers was the Great Gray, named Harmony, and the other one was a Barn owl, named Fibber.

[itsaspaz]

"Do my ears deceive me? Because I believe I heard your father say you're coming to see me!" said the sweet voice of his mother. She sounded so happy, Liam didn't have it in him to tell her he would only be able to stay a short while and it would be Cici who was going to live with them. "Yes Mum, Cici and I will get there either late tonight or sometime tomorrow," said Liam. He was able to picture the broad grin of his mother on the other side. "So she's finally pregnant, then?" asked his mother. "Yes, yes she is." said Liam. "Oh! I will finally get a grandbaby from you! Please, do put your wife on the phone," said his mother. "Just a minute," said Liam, taking the phone away from his ear and covering the receiver. "Honey, my mum wants to talk to you!" He called down the hall.

[* JAQI]

"I'm coming," Cici replied as she shut her trunk, confident that she had grabbed all that she could possibly need while away at the O'Malley cottage in Ireland. It was so strange to be relocating yet again, it seemed that they had only arrived home not that long ago and they were already leaving. She supposed that it shouldn't be unusual for someone that works at a boarding school to go on holiday over the summer, but she had been looking forward to spending a few weeks at home before going after the dementors. Cici relieved Liam of the phone and held it to her own ear. "Hello Mum," Cici said, to Liam's mother. "Oh, hello dear! I'm so very happy for you, I simply cannot wait to see you." said she. "Thank you," Cici said warmly.

[itsaspaz]

Liam smiled when Cici began speaking with his own mother, he thought it was endearing the way she called his parents Mum and Dad. But he supposed that she was more than happy to do so as she had not come from the most ideal family situation. A mother that worked two jobs, an absentee father, and her only sibling was a brother that had moved out of the house when she was six. Liam was proud of her, Cici had made something spectacular out of herself, he truly admired her. Liam slipped off to the bedroom to pack his own trunk.

[* JAQI]

"Not meaning to be an ungracious hostess, but do you know how long you and Liam will be staying with us?" said Mrs. O'Malley. Cici wasn't sure what to tell her mother-in-law, she too was also unable to tell her that Liam would only be staying a short while before he would go after the dementors. "I cannot give you an exact answer, I expect that when terms begins at my school." Cici replied. "Oh, yes, you are the headmistress, how is that going?" said her mother-in-law. "Fairly well, thanks," Cici said.

[itsaspaz]

Upon opening the wardrobe, Liam discovered that Cici had already packed nearly all her clothes, spare for a few sets of robes that were still hanging up at the very end of her side of the wardrobe. Liam took his enchanted rucksack from the floor and began putting in the things that he would need. Changes of clothes, gifts for the dementors (actual souls, the thought made Liam cringe), his bewitched cloak that would keep him warm in Antarctica while he was there... Liam lightly bit his lip, dreading having to go after the creatures on his own.

[* JAQI]

"Liam told me that you're at the school he went to as a boy, the one that teaches magic," said her mother-in-law, her emphasis on the word magic making it sound as if she thought of it as an incredulous idea, in spite of her son being a wizard for twenty-three years. "Hogwarts, that's the one," said Cici, feeling strange. She never discussed magic with muggles, except when non-magical parents simply would not allow their children to attend Hogwarts without first meeting her. That had only happened twice. But Cici was not thinking on that now, she was still elated by the fact that she was to have a baby.

[itsaspaz]

As Cici and his mother chatted as women do on the phone, Liam packed without ceasing. It was times like these when he was extraordinarily glad that he was a highly organized person, no tracking down what he needed to pack minutes before going out the door, just smooth transitioning. But Liam was surprised that he was not stressed just about then, as he generally did not do things spontaneously. Perhaps it was just that he was doing this to protect Cici and (he had to remind himself about this) his unborn child. It was still rather hard to believe that after all these years he was going to be a father.