Bristol, England
It was a cold Halloween. Tiny flickering candles lit the way underneath the sky along the wide Muggle street. It was quiet, yes, but it wouldn't be for long. There was already light and the sound of excited voices coming from within the large red-brick Edwardians that loomed over the road. The pumpkins that adorned most doorsteps were carved to varying degrees of success. Inside the long row of neat houses came the sounds of laughter and children practising their cackles as they finished their dinners and got into the costumes they'd been waiting all year to wear. Ready to roam the streets asking for sweets and making ineffectual childish growls when they were declined (which was never). There was the sound of mothers and fathers insisting on an extra layer, just a coat or a scarf or a hat, and in reply indignant mutters that such a thing would ruin the costume they spent so long on. In less than an hour, there would be groups of vampires, ghosts and werewolves out in packs of three and four -- terrifying, even at four foot two, and with pink mittens for claws. It was the only time the Muggle world got a glimpse, if somewhat exaggerated, of the Other world that lived hidden among them.
Inside one of these houses, second down the row, with its neat front gate and pretty garden, lived a family not like the rest. Yes, they still had supper -- this evening was a lovely warming mushroomy rice dish made by Dad, who was a dab hand with sauces. Yes, they still said things like 'pass the salt' and 'How was school today?', but still, this house was different from all the rest. For one, the residents of Dedalus House knew that magic really existed, as did werewolves and vampires and ghosts and all the other things the families outside thought of only as costumes. They were real witches and wizards -- and none of them owned a pointy hat (though they did have broomsticks in the shed). But that wasn't the most important thing about the house that evening. That was reserved for the fact that its family were celebrating not one, but two birthdays.
"Dad," Lydia said with a whine in her voice that she had long learned to use to get her own way. "Can we open the presents yet? It's been ages."
Yusef FitzHarrow hid his smile in a cup of milky Lady Grey tea. "Not yet. We're waiting."
"Yes," said Alex, in that dour way he had when he was trying to show he was serious, which was often. It would have probably worked and not been as comically funny as it was if he had not been eleven years old. "We're waiting. But what are we waiting for?"
"You'll see," Yusef said not bothering to contain the wide grin that burst onto his face when both twins made the same dramatic groan. It was a sound often heard in the Dedalus-FitzHarrow household whenever Dad wouldn't tell the twins what the 'thingymabobby' he brought from work did even after all their pleading, or that they were absolutely to go and finish off their homework before doing something much more fun and interesting.
Lydia, always the more impatient of the two, huffed and leapt up from her chair. "Well in that case, I think I would like to go upstairs and finish the book I was reading as everything's boring down here. May I leave the table?"
"You may," Yusef said, with that same smile that was beginning to get on her nerves.
She nodded sharply and turned on her heel, nose in the air. "Come on Alex, at least you can have my present. You're going to like it a lot. It's perfect for you, I saved up loads and loads. It's--,"
"Don't tell me yet!" Alex interrupted, and there was that fierce slow burn of excitement beginning to show on his face. He smiled a small smile. "And I can give you mine." He shot a stern look at his father, as if to say 'look what you've caused.'
They were stopped by a heavy thump coming from the hallway. Then there was a gruff noise, low and deep, like that of a large beast.
The twins' eyes widened in tandem. "Jonno!" Lydia cried delightedly.
She rushed into the hallway, her brother following quickly behind. In the hallway was a large dog. Its mass of black fur was a mess as usual, wild and windswept. The woman stood beside the dog looked just as windswept, with cheeks pinked from the cold and strands of hair tugged loose from her practical knot like she'd just been flying at high speeds. Her dark eyes in her aristocratic face were very warm as they looked upon the two dark haired children as they launched themselves into the mass of black fur beside her. "Children," she said fondly, "Happy birthday."
Lydia's face emerged from the large black hedge which was snuffling happily within the two children's arms. She looked up with shining eyes at her mother, an excitable energy shaking her until she was practically hopping. "You came! What did you see? What did you bring?"
Their mother reached into her worn brown dragon hide jacket -- which had been no match for the cold over the long flight -- and pulled out a photograph. The photo was slightly crushed, with a corner missing, but as she handed it over to her daughter, Lydia handled it like it was precious gold. The photo showed a prowling creature, like a cat with several tails and long ears, and one single dark eye within its forehead. Unlike most objects of photographs, it appeared to understand that it was being looked at, and turned to face Lydia with bared fangs.
"Wow!" Alexander said, looking over Lydia's shoulder at the photograph with amazement.
Lydia looked up excitedly. "I've never even seen one of these before in books. What is it?"
Their mother smiled. "That, dear children, is a Huan. More of a softy than he looks, I can tell you that for certain. Very rare. What you're holding there is the only clear photograph of it in the world."
"Very wow," said Lydia now. "Where did you see it? Was it in the mountains? That's where I remember you saying a lot of crypticular wildlife were found. What were they called Alex, I don't remember?"
"Zhangjiajie," Alex said.
"Right, Zhangjiajie," Lydia said, nodding. "I remember you saying before you went."
Gabriella Dedalus tapped her nose, with a gleam in her eye. "That, my dears, is classified. Wouldn't want Boris' location to get back to those that mean him harm, would we?"
"Of course," Alex said, though he looked a bit disappointed.
"But couldn't you tell just us? Please? We won't tell anyone." Lydia wheedled.
Gabriella laughed. "You know how you are with secrets," she said as her daughter scowled dramatically, making her laugh more. She looked up into the hallway at the door that led into the living room. "Husband," she called. "Are you in there? Or did these two finally overthrow you?"
Yusef FitzHarrow appeared from the door, a wry smile on his face, but clear joy in his eyes. "Wife," he greeted. "Not yet at least."
He stepped forwards towards her and kissed her fondly. "Though it doesn't help when my reinforcements are late."
She waved a hand. "Only a few minutes or so, don't be silly," she said, before leaning down to look her two children in the eye. "Now," she said. "Presents."
"Presents!" They cheered, and rushed off down the hallway into the living room, where the two small stacks wrapped in blue shiny paper had been waiting all day.
"Did you remember the...?" Gabriella asked quietly.
Yusef grinned. "Of course. I've not put them out yet though. You can do them if you like."
"No, no," Gabriella said. "It should be you." When Yusef looked like he was about to argue she continued, following her children down the hall. "Besides, you'll be the one doing all the dreadful shopping they've got to do, so it's only fair."
Inside the living room the twins were sat beside their gifts. Alexander was sat on a chair beside the gift table with fists balled onto his knees like he was trying to keep still and Lydia already reaching over to grab the first parcel from the pile.
"Lydia Ambrosia Dedalus," Yusef said. "I thought I taught you patience."
She quickly drew her hand back and looked as contrite as she could, which wasn't very. "Sorry," she said.
Yusef just rolled his eyes while his wife laughed behind her hand. "Right then, shall we?" He said. Sliding his hand into the pocket of his slacks he drew out a long hawthorn wand and waved it. After a moment two parcels came whizzing into the room and settled themselves one on each pile. Both were wrapped with the same blue paper but the one on Lydia's stack was neat and flat, and Alex's seemed to contain more Sellotape than paper.
"That one's from me," Lydia pointed at Alex's large lumpy parcel, redundantly.
"3-2-1...Go!" Gabriella said, and the two excitedly went to tear into their parcels.
Alex got a book in Latin and Babylonian, first edition with a stasis spell on it to make it stay together even though it was over five hundred years old.
"A cookbook?" He asked with a dark eyebrow raised as he looked at his father, whom the label said it was from. "In Babylonian."
"You said you wanted something practical," Yusef said. Alex nodded happily. All of his gifts were books, saving one, which was a small pen which you could set beside whatever you were reading and when you clicked the top it sent an orb of light over your head so you could read in the dark.
Lydia got a fold up tent and outdoor wilderness explorer kit that could be packed into a matchbox, a new telescope lens to replace the broken one with magical focussing, a stack of CDs and a pretty boxset of Sherlock Holmes novels.
"Open mine, open mine," Lydia said, as Alex neared the end of the pile.
The lumpy parcel turned out to be a set of beautiful delicate phials, glasses and distillation tools. It was an exceptional kit of advanced potioneering that would be at home in a wizarding laboratory. It had cost Lydia all the Galleons she had got at Christmas plus the ones she had saved up doing chores and the Muggle money she had saved while looking after the neighbours dog. Alex's eyes bulged. "Merlin," he cried. "That's brilliant!"
"Language," Yusef said automatically, and then felt bad about it. Gabriella winked at him.
"Sorry," said Alex to his father, then turned to his sister. "Thanks Lyd! This must have cost a dragon's!"
"Yep," she said. "But you can pay me back when you invent the world peace potion. Can I open yours?"
Alex nodded vigorously. Inside the small flat parcel Lydia opened was a rectangular box, painted blue with tiny white stars over it and a little latch. She looked at it curiously. "What is it?"
"Dad helped me with this. Do you have the picture of the Huan?" Lydia nodded. "Put it in the little slot near the bottom. It's supposed to be for Astrology but the shop man said it can do any photo. Then stand in a clear space and pull open the latch."
Lydia shot a searching glance at her twin, and then at her Dad, and then her mother as though looking at them would give her a clue of what the box did, though none of their faces had any hint. She took the box and stood in the middle of the living room carpet, in front of the fireplace, slotted the photo of Boris into the box and then opened the latch..
She gasped as in front of her on the rug stood a creature. Life sized, with rippling coppery fur and flicking tails and ears ending in black tufts of fur, and with a single large yellow eye in the middle of its head, the Huan prowled around her, sniffing. She reached automatically to brush a hand over its fur. She could feel it -- the warmth of its body, the soft fur against her hand. It did a few laps then nuzzled against her warmly.
"I told you he was friendly," Gabriella said. "Poor Boris. Now you see why we can't tell people where he is. He might meet the wrong sort and get in trouble."
Lydia crouched down in amazement and started itching under the cats chin. There was a low rumbling sound of contentment, like a distant Muggle plane travelling overhead, and its large yellow eye softly closed to a sliver of happy yellow. "Who's a good kitty? You are, yes you are," Lydia cooed. "My what a handsome cat you are, Boris." She looked up with amazement at her family. "I can feel him, smell him even, like he's really here! It's amazing."
"I fiddled with it a little," Yusef said, nodding towards the box. "Added a few extras, to make it good for all your mum's creature photographs. It was all Alex's idea though. Obviously I wouldn't put any pictures of the sun in there now as it might get a bit hot." He scratched the back of his neck. "Actually thinking about it, it probably isn't the safest present."
"It's wonderful!" Lydia cried, wrapping her arms around Boris and then Alex, who grinned a little sly smile.
"You always want to go after Mum, see what she's up to. Now you can!"
"It's fine," Gabriella said, putting a hand on her husband's arm. "Lydia knows enough about magical creatures to sort the dangerous from the safe, don't you?" she said, eyeing her daughter with a rare sharpness.
Lydia nodded quickly. "Definitely," she said. Alex gave a wary eye at Boris, but looked enthralled.
"This was a great birthday," Lydia declared. She eyed her mother and a grin grew on her face. "The very best, in fact." Alex nodded in agreement, and went to study his potion kit.
"There is one more present, for each of you," Yusef said, and both of them paused.
"More?" Lydia cried.
"Not from me. These came in the post."
"They must be from Auntie Cylla," said Alex.
"Or Aunt Ariadne," Lydia pointed out with a wrinkled nose.
Yusef shook his head. "You'll get those at the weekend when you see your cousins," he said, reaching into his pocket to draw out his wand once more and giving it a lax wave. Two smaller very thin parcels came and sat by the stacks this time. The twins looked at each with matching frowns, both trying to work out what they were before opening.
Lydia reached for hers, and tore the paper off. "A letter?" She said with a frown, looking over it with intense curious eyes at the green ink that read: 'Lydia Dedalus, The Bedroom Opposite the Park, Bristol, England.'
As soon as Alex saw the cream paper corner poking out the edge of the wrapping paper of Lydia's parcel, he dove into his.
Lydia's head jerked up suddenly and stared at Yusef and then Gabriella. "A letter!" She said with meaning. Both parents just gave her fond nods.
From beside her, Alex's eyes widened. "Already?"
Both ripped open the envelopes and read through the contents eagerly. "They came, they came," Lydia was singing as she did so, reverently.
Once she'd finished the reading she stood up and grabbed her brother by the arm, swinging him round as he attempted to read the letter for a third time, committing the words to memory almost. "We're going to Hog-warts, We're going to Hoooog-warts!"
Her parents watched them both with fond expressions, both thinking of the time they had got their own letters, the joy, the surprise, and feeling warmed to their toes by the happiness of their children, which was what birthdays were for.
"Indeed you are," said Yusef.
