Turner Family Reunion

[Claire Turner]

Claire sat in the back of The Three Broomsticks, waiting.
She traces a pale forefinger around the rim of her bottle of firewhiskey, bored.
Matt said he'd convince Chris to turn up.
Matt said he'd bring him along.
That she just had to wait for them to be along and she'd get to meet her little brother and see her older brother again.
A little Turner Family Reunion.
She could hardly imagine all three siblings together again.
She only knew Chris from when he'd been a month old and she could hardly remember that.
It had always been her and Matt, but here they all were.
A family reunion at last.

[Matthew Turner]

Matt walks with Chris up to the door of The Three Broomsticks.
He'd told Claire to wait inside for them, and he'd told Chris that she would be there.
Like a Turner family reunion or something.
"Alright mate," He grins at Chris, having all three of them together had been something Matt had been looking forward to tremendously, "She'll probably be in back, knowing her. I'm going to go and get a couple of firewhiskey's so you can go and introduce yourself, okay? Cool."
He pushes open the door without waiting for an answer, waves briefly at Claire, who was indeed in the back, and then goes over to the bar.

[Ian Hunt]

"But-..." I start to say, but he's already disappeared inside.
I sigh slightly and follow him, watching him wave across the bar, gaze falling on the woman that had returned the wave.
Well, here goes.
I make my way across the bar, stopping next to the table, "Er...you must be Claire?"

[Claire Turner]

Claire lowers her bottle of firewhiskey from her lips, looking up at the guy.
A couple of years younger than her, the same traditional Turner brown eyes and dark hair.
She put her bottle down on the table and without thinking gets to her feet and hugs him tightly, "Chris..."

[Ian Hunt]

I freeze momentarily before patting her awkwardly on the back.
"No one calls me that anymore." I mutter.

[Matthew Turner]

Matt laughs making his way back over to the table and putting a couple of bottles of firewhiskey down, then tapping Claire on the shoulder, "Give him a moment, Claire bear."

[Claire Turner]

Claire laughs slightly, letting go of him, and sitting back down again.
In truth she had no idea what had just come over her.
Maybe the terrifyingly bleak snippet of emotion she'd gathered from her little brother's mind had made her do that.
Because the little she'd read of him, before he'd closed and guarded his mind again, was indeed, terrifyingly bleak.

[Ian Hunt]

I smile awkwardly at the two of them.
Matt was being almost insufferably happy and relaxed as he had been earlier and probably always was.
And I wasn't quite what to make of Claire, it had seemed like she'd almost been in my head for a minute there...

[Matthew Turner]

"Sit down, Chris. Don't be scared of her. I know she's evil looking, but I can keep her in check by now." Matt laughs, sitting down and taking one of the bottles of firewhiskey.

[Claire Turner]

He let his guard down again.
Claire glances at Matt.
He was one of the few people who knew that she was a reader.
"Yes," She sighs to Chris, "It just felt like I was in your head, because I was. And you have a terribly bleak outlook on life, little brother."

[Ian Hunt]

I sit down, then stand up almost immediately again as I take in what Claire says.
"Look, okay, I've put up with my two siblings I never knew existed turning up just like that and I've been playing along and everything, but rule number one, stay the fuck out of my head, okay?" I say, trying to keep my voice level, "There are things in there, I really don't want anyone else to see, alright?"

[Matthew Turner]

"That's perfectly understandable." Matt says quickly, knowing that Chris and Claire were bound to clash, "No reading, okay, Claire?"

[Claire Turner]

"Okay," She says, rolling her eyes, holding a hand up in surrender, making her voice sound in Matt's head at the same time, Telling me not to read is like telling someone not to think, you know that. And we won't clash. No more than you and I do anyway.

[Ian Hunt]

I sank back down into my seat uneasily, taking a bottle of firewhiskey.

[Matthew Turner]

That's besides the point. Try not to read him. Got to respect what he asks, after all. He thought, knowing she'd pick up on it.
"So...Chris...want to ask us anything? Want to tell us about you maybe?"

[Claire Turner]

I'll try, Matt. She says in his head, No promises though.

[Ian Hunt]

"No," I say guardedly, not wanting to give anything away at the moment, "You two can go first."

[Matthew Turner]

Matt laughs, "Alright then, well, I told you about me, kind of. I'm a single parent to my two kids, Paul and Dawn. Paul is 3 and Dawn is 1 and a half. Their mother was a muggle and she left about a year ago. We live in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, like I said. I'm part of the Order of the Phoenix and manage to scrape a living by working for the muggle law enforcement at home. That's about it really."

[Claire Turner]

"Oh is it my turn?" Claire says with sarcastic enthusiasm, "Well, golly, this should be fun. Um...My husband's name is Sam Grace, but I couldn't quite bear to lose my surname so I kept it. We have a son called Liam, who's 2, but his kids practically live with us," She nods at Matt, "I live next door to him, the fun never ends I assure you." She adds in a mutter, "Also in the Order. I'm a flying coach at our old magic academy. And," She mimics Matt, "That's about it really."

[Ian Hunt]

I laugh without really meaning to.

[Matthew Turner]

"Oh Lord, spare me!" He groans.
His little sister's sarcasm drove him up the wall.
It seemed his little brother had a similar sense of humour.
"Save me from the sarcastic sadistic evil little siblings!"

[Claire Turner]

"Just because you don't understand sarcasm, you great big lummox..." She teases.

[Matthew Turner]

"Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit, Claire bear." He retorts.

[Ian Hunt]

"But also the funniest." I shrug.

[Matthew Turner]

"Oh what? Come on!" He groans.

[Claire Turner]

"Haha!" Claire laughs triumphantly, scooting round to the chair next to Chris, and putting a loose arm round his shoulders, "You, my man, are sticking with me. Younger siblings unite."

[Ian Hunt]

I laugh, again without really meaning to, taking a swig of firewhiskey.

[Matthew Turner]

"Okay, so bullshit aside..." Matt laughs, "Your turn, Chris. Tell us stuff."

[Ian Hunt]

"Er...okay...well, I'm a death eater, but I'm on the run from that," I say, deciding to be honest, "Which means I don't really get to live anywhere, but I'm thinking about staying here for a while. I'm living with my girlfriend. I'm unemployed." He pauses, then adds for good measure, "That's about it really."

[Claire Turner]

Claire laughs at the 'that's about it really' added on the end, then grins evilly, "Girlfriend, Chris?"