You're going to school not the bloody moon [closed]
Chaos and anarchy. Roger vaguely remembered mentioning something like that to Jemma last week when he'd spoken with her about Emmeline growing up. The statement had never rang more true than at this moment
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Roger had tried to prepare the kids as well as he could. Mostly, he didn't like bringing people into their lives without knowing where it might go. This time, at least, he didn't even have to do much. Linden had done most of the talking for him and had a minor temper tantrum when he'd been told he wasn't going to be able to see his two favorite friends that day. The idea to bring the Dornys to them had been just as much to end that crisis as it was for Roger to keep building this relationship - or whatever - with Jemma.
Linden had spent the rest of the day alternating with the girls on who could tell the most exciting stories. Roger had long given up trying to figure out who was winning.
They'd finally settled down in the study with a pile of ghost story books for Dahlia, a collection of Legos for Linden, and hairbands and a hairbrush for Lily. Roger had one braid completed and was to the last few inches of the other for Lily when the fireplace roared to life.
The dust had barely settled when Linden was jumping up and dragging Dahlia with him toward the new arrivals.
"Hi! Hi! Hi! This is my sister and this is my house! And you're actually here!"
Roger chuckled to himself. "Welcome to the madhouse. Leave your sanity at the door."
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"Hi Mister Davies-" Emmeline greeted with a tight wave, minding her manners just like her mother warned them both too. "LinDEN do you REALLY live here?"
Jemma flushed a slight pink before pushing them both lightly in front of her so she too could step from the fireplace. She rubbed at her nose briefly, making sure to rid herself of any soot, as she took in the room. It was a grand study, and it was beautiful. The amount of books filling the walls had her quite appreciative. But nothing caught her more than seeing Roger and who she presumed to be Lily, the focus on his face as he worked on her braids oddly endearing.
She smiled, taking in the sudden surrounding of five children and Roger.
"You say that as if I had any to begin with," she said, adjusting her purse on her shoulder.
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Roger sighed, knowing there was about to be a disaster of a tour happening. It could probably be worse, though. At least his kids liked to show off the stupidly large house they got to run.
"Hi," Roger said, sort of toward Emmeline but she'd already moved on to Linden. "Sanity disappeared about 11 years ago."
"I thought it disappeared when we went back to Madam Malkin's today," Lily corrected from her spot on the floor as her father tied the last of her braids into place.
"Just he third time," Dahlia corrected. Then she looked up at Jemma and held out a hand, as proper as an eight-year-old could muster. "Hello, Ms. Dorny. I'm Dahlia. Linden said you have the best treehouse."
Roger had to admit he was proud of Dahlia, a go getter always. She probably had some sort of ulterior motive, but that was typically her way. He'd figure it out later. For now, he took the moment to actually look Jemma over. It couldn't be helped, really.
Had her legs looked that long last week?
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"Hi Dahlia," she greeted. "I would love for you to come over and see the treehouse- whenever you'd like, actually-"
She straightened up then to reach into her purse, the concealment charm making the entrance expand slightly as she pulled open the zipper. She took a moment to reach inside before pulling out a perfectly wrapped box of pastries with a pretty blue ribbon- taken directly from her favorite little bakery in Diagon Alley.
"I figure a little dessert usually helps with the crazy," she shrugged, catching Roger's eye and offering him a smile.
Maybe she noticed the way he looked at her. And maybe, she liked it. Even if they did happen to be surrounded by their own children.
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"What is it? Is it for us?"
"Can we have it before dinner?" Lily asked, bounding to her feet nearly as soon as the elastic closed around the end of her second braid.
Roger met Jemma's eyes and grinned, shrugging at his girls.
"At least say thank you first."
"Thank you, Ms. Dorny," both girls echoed in stereo.
"It's always creepy when they do that," Roger muttered toward Jemma as he got up, moving a bit closer to her. "What do you say we take this to the kitchen. I'll give you the general tour and let the kids do their own? Lily knows no one goes in the pool room or near the pond without adult supervision."
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She couldn't help but find the whole scene completely amusing. From Roger braiding Lily's hair, to children running all over the place, to this beautiful and bloody enormous library, she was only mildly overwhelmed and mostly very curious about where this night was going to lead.
"Remind me later, though," she continued, adjusting her bag over her shoulder. "I got Lily a little something for school-"
She chewed on her bottom lip, flushing slightly.
"Nothing too crazy," she told him, shaking her head. "Just something I found useful when I was a first year."
She shrugged.
"But tour first, definitely."
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This was going to be a great send off for her.
"You really didn't need to do that." He sounded as touched as he was, though.
Roger shook his head and couldn't help grinning. Jemma really was something else. Dessert was completely understood - and it took a Herculean effort not to let that thought run out of control, even with a whole gaggle of children just down the hall. He really hadn't expected her to bring anything for Lily.
It he hadn't already been too interested in her, he would have been in that moment.
"But right. Tour. This way." He motioned toward the door the kids had taken off through. "Linden, Dahlia, and Lily's rooms are that way. And a couple bathrooms."
They could be heard laughing from down the hall, so he wasn't concerned when he turned left toward the stairs. "The other side of the hall is the master and the guest rooms."
Sometimes, Roger didn't understand how in the world he ended up in a house this size. It was ridiculous, but with toys strewn in various places across the hallway and the even down the stairs, at least it looked lived in.
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But she felt a tightening in her chest at the tone of Roger's voice, offering him a soft smile as she followed him through the house.
"This place is massive-" she couldn't help but remark. "I feel like I'd honestly get lost-"
She laughed softly.
"Sorry, I'm sure with all your lot, this probably works," she said. "With my two, I feel like there'd be too many hiding spots- David already loves jumping out at me on the staircase, I'd lose it-"
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It had all happened so fast.
Roger laughed before he could help himself, walking down the stairs beside Jemma. "They find plenty of spaces to hide." He wasn't even sure how many times he'd managed to lose one of the children in this place. It was enough times that he'd considered leashes for all of them.
Then he'd come up with a magic angle instead.
"There's a trick though. My favorite charm on this place. My mum actually set it up. Alerts me any time someone is in a room they're not supposed to be in. Might not keep them out of tight corners, but it keeps them away from the pool and the pond and random guest rooms or the study. Limits how many places I have to search when Dahlia's forgotten she's playing hide and seek with Linden again."
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Jemma mouthed the words as she followed Roger, not able to stop herself from the cheeky grin that tugged at her lips. She was briefly reminding herself how lucky she was not to have David anywhere near water of any kind.
But still, she was more than interested in that charm.
"You think you could share that with me?" she asked, her eyebrows raised slightly as she caught his eye. "That would be- well, insanely helpful with my two-"
She raked her fingers through her hair, tucking it behind her ears.
"This place is beautiful though," she added, lifting her shoulders slightly.
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That way led to madness.
Roger couldn't help grinning, softly and more intent, as he watched Jemma tuck her hair behind her ear. She was so put together and clearly could manage anything, but it was something that seemed almost vulnerable in its simplicity.
He really needed to stop jumping to 60 so quickly.
"Thanks. It's not... homey, really. It's a little too spread out right now. It's going to be a nightmare when all the kids are gone." The house almost felt empty now he couldn't imagine it without children popping up at every turn.
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Grayson had come to stay with them immediately, a smart decision and way to distract the children from their missing father.
He stayed up with her every night, coaxing her into the reality of the situation in only the way he could. He knew a thing or two about single parenting, as it was.
But Jemma learned recently that while divorce rates might be ticking, most of the twins' friends at school had a strong and stable two parent situation. That was until Linden, and frankly as selfish as it was, she was grateful that Roger seemed to understand just what it was like.
"Have you ever thought of downsizing?" she asked, curious about his response. Big homes had always felt a bit foreign to her, but her cottage growing up had always been perfect for her and her father. They were a small family.
"Even though I'm sure an indoor pool might be hard to give up," she added, wriggling her eyebrows playfully.
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With this much space, he'd had to have thought about it. When Lavender had left, Roger considered it. They could have moved into a house instead of a manor. It could have been something typical and mundane and in a suburb. There were houses with enough rooms that the girls wouldn't have to share.
But there had already been so much happening at the time, Roger hadn't wanted to add additional change to Lily, Dahlia, and Linden. After that, not moving just became another thing they did. Who had the time to house hunt?
Roger laughed and rolled his eyes. "Where else am I going to get that, a garden, and a pond, Jemma. Be practical," he teased.
He shrugged, coming to the best answer he could for her question. "I thought about it. But it was too much change, then I didn't have the time. Also I put too much money into this place to walk away."
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Her instincts were good with this one, and whatever he might have buried in his past deserved to stay exactly where he wanted.
But she didn't want to find herself ignorant on his career the next time they spoke.
"Well, as a two-time winner of the MVP cup, I'd bet you could get one hell of an offer on this place if you ever thought about it," she said, her voice teasing as she caught his eyes, a bright smile tugging at her lips. "I might have... actually looked you up..."
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Maybe he should have been annoyed. He could have been, probably. But he was flattered. She'd thought about him enough after their impromptu playdate (for the children) that she'd had to find out more about him.
He made a mental note to ask Marlow about Jemma. Marlow knew everyone and/or everything somehow or other so she might be able to throw some information his way.
"You definitely paid attention to whatever you found if you're quoting my stats back at me." Roger laughed quietly, too amused for his own good. "Find anything interesting, by the way?"
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She really liked the sound of his laugh and she wanted to ensure it happened again. She wasn't sure when that became such a priority for her, but she felt pretty good so far and she wanted that feeling to continue. She was taking a chance, which is what everyone had been telling her to do for years now.
And who better to take that chance on then the-
"Quid-Witches' Most Eligible Bachelor, especially," she said, laughing again. "Tell me, just how massive is your fan club?"
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