family time (Burkes & family)

[Jadon Burke]

Jadon took the stairs back down quickly, knowing it was best not to keep his parents waiting for long. He came into the dining room just in time to hear his father ask them how school was, and he caught his sisters' eyes, smiling at each of them.

So as not to interrupt any of them, or his father, he came up next to his mother and kissed her cheek before quietly taking his own seat.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia rolled her eyes dramatically. Why did everyone always ask about school? Weren't there more interesting things to talk about? "School is the same as ever. Boring classes, too much homework. I suppose the tournament thing is sort of interesting, but it's all just sports and stuff. And the Slytherin champion is some new girl from Beauxbatons. Like, really, aren't there any proper champions?" She said with a huff.

"But at least there's going to be a dance," she added. This, to her, was the most important thing she could think of. In her mind, the dance was what she was living for.

[benjamin]

As Jadon came down to sit at the table, Ben decided not to interrupt Fee as she spoke. As she mentioned a school dance his eyes lit up, the perfect chance for his little angels to shine in public. "A dance, well isn't that wonderful. Do my three little angels have date's yet?" Beaming down the table at the three Burke girls, he finally locked eyes with his eldest child. "How are things with you Jadon? I'm sure your sisters are about to explode if you don't start talking." Flashing a wink at his son, he reached over and grabbed Emma's hand.

[Jadon Burke]

Jadon smiled at his father's look. Yes, the girls always fussed over him, anxious to know how he'd been. He knew his sisters wouldn't even aswer their father's question once he turned his attention to him, so it was useless trying to wait until they had all answered him.

"Well," He said, already knowing to leave out anything DE related, for his sister's sakes, "I've been keeping busy. I spent a couple of weeks at Nathalia's apartment in the States. She, by the way, is also back in town and sends her love. But mostly I've just been working... and you know how that goes. Sorry, ladies. I wish I had some exciting stories for you."

It was sad to him that he did, in fact, have exciting stories... just nothing he could share with them.

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia tried not to roll her eyes at her sister's somewhat flim flam explanation of what school was and the somewhat "put down" of the slytherin champion.

Instead she turned her attention to her brother and waited to hear what he had been up to, she wanted to know what he had really been up to but she suspected it was your average young adult fun...well fun for males anyhow...probably not very proper.

[Emma Burke]

Emma had easily followed behind her husband, kissed her children and sat down listening to them all talk. In her mind though, her thoughts were on her family and how much she'd missed having them all together like this since they'd gone off to school. They were all growing up so perfect and beautiful and as a mother she could never ask for more. Her son had turned out to be the best thing since self buttering bread, a talented death eater in his own right already. She was very proud of her son.

She began thinking of who they should be married off to. Obviously they would need to be respectable pure bloodlines, good alliances for the family no doubt.. and of course they would have to be good looking as well. She couldn't condemn her daughters to marry unsavory men. Though she respected the fact that Derek, at least would uphold the family name and find a suitable match eventually. And if not, she'd make sure he settled down before he got too much older. The blood of the future lay in their hands, and what better way to provide for the future power of the Dark Lord, but through many pureblood children to follow in the pureblood traditions.

Her eyes saught out her husbands and winked lovingly at him, while she listened to her children talk. Surely they would have dates soon if they didn't already.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia listened to Jadon talk, with a smile that was close to worship. She adored her older brother, and hung on every word he said. She only wished that she could see more of him, and that he would confide in her more.

"I do wish you would come by Hogsmeade more often to visit us," she said, fluttering her eyelashes at him. "I miss you when you're away... the last time, you didn't even write. I was worried."

[Jadon Burke]

"I was really busy, love," Jadon told his sister, the one closest to him in age. "But I'll try and write more next time. The good news is... I'm home for a little while."

That he knew of, anyway. He could be sent out on a mission at any time, and that he couldn't control, but he didn't anticipate going back to New York for a while. He visited Lia maybe once a year anyway. No, he'd be home as long as his parents would have him this time.

[Kassia Burke]

"Really?" Kassia asked hopefully, she was better at letting her sisters have all the attention they wanted around the house and at school or wherever it was, but she was excited about Jadon being home as well and couldn't contain her childish glee.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia beamed. "Oh, good, I'm so glad you're staying. You must come visit us at Hogsmeade soon. I have so many things I want to tell you about!"

She made it sound great, but really, all she wanted to tell him about were the silly trivial bits of gossip around the school. She didn't talk about them at the dinner table, because she knew her father wouldn't want to hear them, but she assumed, since Jadon knew the people involved, he would be interested to hear about Rystain and Lani and Lyra, and about Rabastan's mysterious connection with their cousin Andromeda, the disgraced Herbology professor. It never occurred to her that those things would probably not be of much interest to Jadon.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia beamed. "Oh, good, I'm so glad you're staying. You must come visit us at Hogsmeade soon. I have so many things I want to tell you about!"

She made it sound great, but really, all she wanted to tell him about were the silly trivial bits of gossip around the school. She didn't talk about them at the dinner table, because she knew her father wouldn't want to hear them, but she assumed, since Jadon knew the people involved, he would be interested to hear about Rystain and Lani and Lyra, and about Rabastan's mysterious connection with their cousin Andromeda, the disgraced Herbology professor. It never occurred to her that those things would probably not be of much interest to Jadon.

[Kassia Burke]

Kassia gave her brother an amused look. She on the other hand didn't really have anything to say or anything exciting to tell him, as far as she was concerned exciting things didn't really happen to her, and she preferred it that way well almost. Of course she had a passionate side to her that wanted to break free of this ideal called the Burke image. But she had dug her own grave by simply being "responsible Kassia" ever since she could remember, if *she* were to act out why...one might think the world was ending.

"I haven't much to tell you, but I am looking forward to you being home. You will be staying for the holidays won't you?"

[Emma Burke]

"Of course he will, Kassia." Emma interrupted finally. She knew something big was coming up soon with the Dark Lord and that it wasn't likely he'd be sent away again until at least sometime after the holidays at the very earliest. Something she'd noticed was the fact that many of the other Death Eaters had been summoned home recently, there had been a large influx lately and she knew the Dark Lord had to be preparing for something big.

"Jadon will be staying for a while this time I think, so you girls can hopefully at least see him when you're home from school for the holidays if nothing else. And Jadon, I expect you should spend some extra time with your family this time while you're home."

[Jadon Burke]

Jadon nodded to his two sisters. "I will be around for a while. I just got home, how could I possibly leave so soon again? Fee, I want to hear everything you have to tell me... you know I'm always interested in what's happening at school."

He could frankly care less, but it made his sister happy, and he loved all three of them too much to let on any different.

He smiled at his mother. "You're right, of course." He had been summoned home, though he hadn't yet been given a reason. He was patient, and he was thankful for the time with his family as well.

[Kassia Burke]

That could have possibilities, with any luck and if her sisters didn't ask him...she could try and convince him to take her to the ball. She didn't want to deal with some guy pawing at her all night on the mere chance that it could be misconstrued. She just wanted a nice quiet evening. She wasn't really one for all these grand parties.

[benjamin]

Ben sat quietly and stared out over the table where his family sat. He was proud of his family, they were all proper, handsome wizards and witches. His daughters were his angels and Jadon was a son any father could be proud off. Listening to his girls just go crazy talking to their brother, he couldn't help but smile. Those girls treasured Jadon and Ben knew Jadon would slay a small town to protect any one of them as well. Reaching over and clapping his son on the shoulder as he said he would stay, he chuckled. "Good Jadon, you need to stay around home more, you know when i'm too old too your the patron of this family."

Gripping Emma's hand just a little tighter, he hated to think of the day when he would have to retire from running the Burke family. He wasn't a very old man but in the line of work Emma and himself were in, death was around every corner and hiding in every shadow. "Anyways, so there is a ball..that means boys and dresses. So tell me my little angels, how badly are you planning on draining Daddy's pocket for your dresses?"

[Allaire Burke]

"I don't know if I'm going," said Allaire. "I haven't been asked yet, but if I am asked there's a cute dress I saw in the dressmaker's window in Hogsmeade. It wasn't that expensive." although Allaire knew that her family was loaded, she never liked to buy things that were so expensive, unlike Ophelia. She would be happy with something cheap, as long as it was cute and it was to her liking. Allaire never really put a dent in her family's money because just the smallest things would please her, it didn't matter how low the number on the price tag was.

[Kassia Burke]

Kass shrugged, hers wouldn't cost her father anything. She already had the material and she was very skilled with dressmaking, it wasn't beneath her in the least to make her own gown. It wasn't like they were poor and she had to make her own dress, that was hardly the case but rather whenever she did go in to make a gown she helped so much it was rather pointless for a dressmaker to take money for it when the girl did all the work. She wasn't doing it because she had to but rather because she was good at it. "I may need a few supplies but it shouldn't be a big dent papa." besides Ophelia's likely to spend three times the amount of a normal person.

Okay so part of her did it so she didn't spend her father's money. She didn't ask for much as a Burke daughter either. She didn't need much, she made her own dressrobes her parents bought her the finest of school supplies and it seemed anything Kassia wanted they already had. Books a shared passion between her and her twin, she had asked for a piano once but was just shown into a room (which she didn't know they had) and there was already a piano there. Even expensive jewelry could be acquired by whatever was in the family's jewels which she only wore at social events and then put back.

Sometimes she felt that spending all that money and wearing the dress and jewels was like wearing a mask it was part of the game she played in being a Burke, but money didn't make her happy. She supposed at this point in her life her family made her happy, family was her only passion.

[Ophelia Burke]

Ophelia rolled her eyes at her sisters. Sometimes she really didn't understand them. They had no shortage of money, and Papa never hesitated to open up his wallet for them when they wanted something. Why, then, were they so frugal? Did they not understand that, as Burkes, they were worth the investment?

"Well, Daddy, I've been looking at some one-of-a-kind designs in the catalogues, and they're very pricey. But they'll look so pretty on me. I'll most definitely be the most beautiful girl there," she said, beaming proudly.

[Kassia Burke]

It wasn't that Kassia was trying to be frugal, but the fact was, she looked prettier in anything she could design than someone else would design. It was like having a professional make up artist do your make up, yes they'd do a good job, but no one's stared at your face as long as you have for doing make up, Kassia knew her face, she knew her body, and she knew what she liked, she also possessed the skills to make what she liked.

So perhaps part of it was being frugal, but she didn't care about money. That wasn't what she wanted from her father, instead the joy that Fee might have gotten from getting a new dress, came when her father would sit her down and read with her. Okay perhaps that had been when Kassia was a baby, now it was much the other way around that Kass read to her father while he worked on paperwork or whatever it was. She liked spending time with her father and knowing that he was a busy man, but that he could make time for her...that was the biggest gift he could give her.