Bringing up baby

[Professor Bennett]

Holding Christian close to her chest as she apparated into Diagon Alley, Beth checked him over to make sure he was ok before giving him a loud kiss on the cheek, she was amazed at how unphased by apparating he was, he almost seemed to enjoy it.

Checking to see if his shoes were on properly, Beth gently set him down onto his two feet, he was 7 months old and couldnt walk unaided but he loved it when he was allowed to toddle along with someone holding his handws, keeping him steady. It took ages to get anywhere doing this but Beth couldnt resist her baby boy's excited giggle as he teetered along on his tippy toes.

"Come on then my little Prince, we have to go get you a broom just like Daddys and then we'll have lunch then we'll get back home so we can make Daddy a special dinner tonight....because Daddy deserves a nice dinner doesnt he sweety?" she spoke in a cute babying voice, realising that hunching over her baby wasnt the most ladylike of poses but her baby was happy and that was all that mattered. Ambling along slowly, Beth was too caught up in making sure her son was having fun to notice she was about to bang into a large birdcage, complete with tawny owl.

(ooc. Anyone want to come warn Beth about the birdcage?! Please?! How can you resist her being cute with her baby?!)

[Harry Armitage]

((ooc: Hey, I hope Harry's okay, I figured they'd know each other from the big bad group that is the Deatheaters. ))

After apparating his daughter back home, Harry walked down Diagon Alley, the happiest he'd been in years. Katie had, unlike her brother, completely accepted him back into her life and just been so delighted that her father had bothered to come back at all that she'd overlooked the fact he'd abandoned her, her siblings and her mother years previously. Smiling then- he had a feeling despite Rebecca's warnings that Katie would be a total daddy's girl now- he decided to pop into Flourish and Blotts to pick up some books that Rebecca had been talking about wanting to read. That was when he noticed a woman and her young son- he couldn't be more than several months old he guessed- walking along slowly while the baby grinned delightedly when the woman talked in a baby voice to him. His smile grew then as he recalled years past when he did just such the same thing for Rachael and Dan, not that either of them would remember it, but he maintained the line that he was the one that had taught them to walk, talk, and ride their first brooms, despite what Rebecca argued.

Harry looked away then from the woman and had to duck as he passed the Owl Emporium where many bird cages hung annoyingly in the way of the people walking past. Seeing the accident unfolding in his head, he glanced back to the woman and child, quickly sidestepped back towards them and spoke up, "Sorry to interrupt your walk with your son but you're about to walk right into a birdcage," he informed her simply and then faltered slightly as he looked properly at the woman before him and saw a familiar face looking up at him. "Reynolds..." he breathed out, her maiden name, and then shook his head, "Elizabeth, I mean, wow I..." he stuttered, very unlike him before rolling his eyes at himself. "Sorry, I'll start that again shall I. It's been a while since I saw you, how are you? Is this your son?" he asked, glancing down at the little boy with a pleasant smile.

[Professor Bennett]

(ooc: thats excellent!)

Hearing a mans voice to her left, Beth stood up slightly and looked to which he was referring, a low lying birdcage that was about to connect with her head. "Oh my god...thank you! Wow...I was too caught up in..." she trailed off, holding Christian still and straightening up somewhat as she looked upon the face of Harry Armitage, a former 'colleague' of hers.

"Not Reynolds, hasnt been Reynolds for 20 years now...I married a muggle" she spoke in a proud tone, she wasnt ashamed of her choice to marry the man she had fallen so madly in love with but she knew that many of her Deatheater 'friends' had promised to kill her should they ever meet her again because of her 'betrayal' and she eyed Harry suspiciously, wondering if he was one of the few who had declared this.
"Im excellent, yeah...just you know...being a good girl instead of killing people" she gave a chuckle, they'd both been rather dastardly back in the day.

"Yes...this is one of my sons, Christian Edward Bravin...yes, son of Angelo Bravin...Im sure you've heard of him? He's my fiancée" she smiled, picking Christian up and holding him on her hip. "He has 3 older brothers and 2 older sisters...though not all mine" she laughed, "How about you? Last I heard you'd abandoned your family" she raised her eyebrows and clicked her tongue, as a victim of such an act she often felt strongly about it.

[Harry Armitage]

As she corrected him Harry smiled wryly, "Sorry, old habit and all but I heard about you marrying Bennett was it?" he asked, brow furrowed as he tried to recall the gossip that had been going round the Deatheaters after Elizabeth left them when she was pregnant with her oldest son. "If looks could kill I'd be dead," he remarked then because of her suspicious look, adding in explanation, "Look I wasn't one of the uh 'people' saying you'd betrayed us somehow by marrying a muggle. Come on, I was involved with an Auror, I couldn't have judged you for anything, I 'betrayed them' too apparently," he said simply. "Wonderful, you being a good girl instead of killing I mean... how's that working for you, being on the 'good side'?" he asked jokingly with the hint of a smile. A look of recognition crossed his face and he nodded, "Aaah yes, Bravin, of course I've heard the family name," he said, "Well wow congratulations on the fiancée and children and being good and everything else," he concluded with a sincere smile- he really was glad someone had made it after deciding to leave the Deatheaters.

Seeing her disapproving look then he winced, shaking his head slightly as though hearing Elizabeth say about abandonment hurt him, which it did actually, he didn't like to hear it in such clear terms. "I'm... uh dead apparently," he started and then laughed, realising how odd that must sound, and started again, "Yes, I'm definitely not proud of it, in fact I've felt ashamed since the day I did it, but I did. I abandoned Rebecca and our three kids, I regretted it a lot, but I did it because I was young, stupid and a coward, the usual excuses. The Dark Lord thought I was passing information onto Rebecca about our plans, her being an Auror and all, and questioned my loyalty. There were a few of our old 'friends' who absolutely hated me after that, I heard them planning to poison my youngest, Katie. For some reason they thought if would be funny, you know me being one of the top 'potions people' in the Deatheaters, and I guess in a twisted way they thought I deserved to have my children killed because I conceived them to an Auror," he spoke with a roll of his eyes at the politics of it all.

"So I left Rebecca and the kids, for their sake, but I couldn't really get out of the Deatheater thing, no Armitage has ever abandoned them," he snorted in disbelief, shaking his head, "A year or so ago I realised I couldn't take it, couldn't just never see my kids or Rebecca again so I sort of... faked my death, it was the only way out and god I feel like a coward for doing it but the Deatheaters weren't letting me walk out on them at all, unless it was as a pile of ash," he said grimly before shrugging. "We're reconciled now, me and Rebecca, she's miraculously let me back into her life after I explained this all to her and I couldn't be more happy that I'm finally getting to make up for lost time with my kids. My son hates me. My daughters accept me a bit more, I don't deserve that I know, and that's pretty much my story up to date..." he trailed off, realising he'd been talking quite a bit and then he laughed at the thought, "I feel like I've just recited a really odd episode of This Is Your Life," he joked good humouredly.

((ooc: Ah sorry that was way too long, haha, Harry felt the need to justify himself to her and he's you know kind of defensive about having abandoned his kids. ))

[Professor Bennett]

Nodding her head, she gave a smile "Yes, Raymond Bennett was the filthy muggle who caught my heart and turned me into the turncoat! What look?!" she acted innocent, laughing as she had been caught giving him a death glare. "Well, one can never be sure who was on which side but I should've known you were on my side, I mean a muggle was one thing but an Auror?!" she shook her head, pretending that she was deeply disgusted by this news. Years ago, before she'd met Raymond she would've been but now she saw the error of her ways.

"Well not only did I deny my deatheating ways, I also became a professor...Defence Against the Dark Arts" she laughed at the irony of it, smiling her thanks as he congratulated her.
Looking at his face as he seemed to wince at her bluntness, Beth listened to his story and her hard gaze softened and she looked guiltily down at her feet before looking to his face apologetically, "Harry, Im sorry, I shouldnt have said that at all, it wasnt my place to say anything...I guess Im just sensitive about such issues. Raymond...left me with 3 kids, without a word of explanation...I guess I need to ask Rebecca some advice on how to make a man tell me what I've been waiting to here for 16 years" she shrugged her shoulders, even though she was with Angelo now she still yearned for Raymond to tell her why he left.

"You're getting your life back on track, Im sure your son will come around eventually. Mark eventually forgave his father...well, enough to talk to him as if he was a human but I think Ally's tears had something to do with that, she has a way of getting what she wants" she smirked, Mark had only begun talking to Raymond again because of Ally asking him to do it for her, a trick that the boys fell for everytime.

(ooc: he's fabulous...sorry if Beth is a bit lame.)

[Harry Armitage]

((ooc: Aww thank you! And don't be daft, your post for Beth is wonderful!))

Harry snorted in amusement then, shaking his head, "Yes, the very nerve of you to marry such a filthy muggle!" he exclaimed, but looked at her with a kind of shared understanding about how stupid the stance on muggles was. "That look!" he said with a laugh then, "The famous Elizabeth death glare, aww it's been years since I had the displeasure of being subjected to it," he remarked good humouredly. Then, nodding as she pretended to be disgusted, "Very true, and yes I was on your side. I know, I should have been disowned by my family for ruining the good name of the Armitages in the Deatheater world. You just can't choose who you fall in love with, that's something I think the Deatheaters fail to appreciate," he concluded thoughtfully.

"You became Defence Against the Dark Arts professor?!" he asked in disbelief and then laughed, "Ironic but it sort of makes much more sense, I mean you know the Dark Arts. I don't want to say that Hogwarts should have ex-Deatheaters for all their professors, but being involved in it really gives you the edge over other potential professors," Harry admitted. "You probably taught my kids then, Dan, Rachael and Katie? They have their mum's name, Barnes," he added in explanation.

Looking down at her he shook his head at his apologies and smiled grimly, "It's fine, honestly, I understand that you'd be sensitive about this kind of thing, you have every right to be," he stated quickly as she looked guiltily at him. "Becca would give you tips on that, I'm sure, though I think it was mainly her death glare and the fact she was prone to wanting to tear me to shreds that scared me into telling her everything," he replied with an amused smile at this, but he soon sobered as her next words made him feel guilty all over again for what he'd done, and was now doing unknowingly, to Rebecca. However at her encouraging words he nodded with a smile, "Thanks, I'm trying to anyway. And I really do hope so! Dan's just being stubborn I think, he's hated me for so many years it must he hard to break the habit and such. It's my own fault, I think I've passed on my tendency to hate people whole-heartedly to him, damn DNA," Harry chuckled with a shake of his head.

[Professor Bennett]

Shaking her head she laughed, "My glare is famous? Excellent...and even more excellent, I've passed it on to my daughter...she is dare I say it, even better at it than I am!" she nodded her head and laughed, "My mother didnt talk to me for years and she tried to make my father disown me but he just couldnt give his little girl up...that and he adores Ally" she shook her head, Ally somehow managed to win over every male relative into doing her bidding.

"Daniel Barnes, yes I remember him! He's...you're typical cheeky chappy!" she chuckled, finding it amazing that someone as 'cheerful' as Daniel could be so cold towards his father but she knew how he felt, she understood the rejected feeling that Daniel must have but at least Harry had a valid reason for leaving them and he was trying to make amends.

"I have the famous Elizabeth deathglare and his complete lack of magical skills and still he wont tell me, short of using the Cruciatus curse...I've drawn a blank" she shrugged her shoulders, shifting Christian slightly to get him comfortable as he'd begun to grow restless. "He'll come round...honestly, he cant hate you forever...he can try but he cant. You want me to set Ally on him? Her tears can melt even the iciest heart" she gave a chuckle, bouncing Christian lightly on her hip, "So are you and Rebecca giving it another go?" she asked him with a smile, thinking it lovely if they were to put their lives back on track, something she'd often wished she could do with Raymond before she'd met Angelo.

[Harry Armitage]

Harry laughed but nodded convincingly, "Of course it is, the Deatheaters still fear it, I can tell you," he remarked in mock sincerity before looking worried, "Oh dear, I fear for anyone who crosses her then. I mean, you did it with a certain kind of 'I could quite easily kill you before you even realised it was coming' attitude, I'd hate to think what your daughter's glare looks like." Listening then as Elizabeth spoke of her parents he nodded with a grim smile, "Parents come round eventually, I suppose it works out in the end. I mean my parents had to live with it... well they didn't have any other choice besides accepting Rebecca since they couldn't change it from that comfortably dank cell in Azkaban," he concluded with an amused snort as he shook his head slightly.

"You do? He is?" he asked and then smiled, "Yes I've been told that, funny how he is so different to me, and Rebecca really. It's odd how different Rachael is as well. Considering they're twins they're about as different as chalk and cheese, and how ironic it should be that the ball-breaking, I-hate-you one of the two chose to forgive me and the cheeky-chappy one still hates me," he remarked with a shrug of his shoulders as if to say 'ah what can you do, really?'. "You'd think that would be enough to get him to tell you," Harry agreed with a shrug, "I'd steer away from the Unforgiveables since they might ruin your good girl thing you've got going on lately. I can't believe he doesn't crumble under the deathglare though, he must be some kind of superhuman," he added light heartedly. As she spoke about Dan he nodded along, "I hope so, but oh I think he could quite easily hate me until I'm on my death bed at least, and then he might only 'dislike' me," Harry replied before laughing at her suggestion, "I'm sure he knows Ally already if she was as famous at Hogwarts as I'd presume she would have been, so I think the mere mention of Ally Bennett would strike fear into his heart," he joked.

Looking over at Elizabeth as she bounced her son gently he smiled at the sight of her mothering before nodding slowly as she asked of Rebecca. "Yes, I think so, I mean I know I want to and she seems to have let me back into her life... or at least... she hasn't sent a Killing Curse my way yet when I've kissed her, so that's good right?" he chuckled, "I guess I'm trying to make up for lost time purely as a father to my kids first before I even think about where Rebecca and I stand. I'm selfish, I want her back though," he shrugged with a fond kind of smile as he spoke of her. "So how are your children and, Angelo, was it?" he asked conversationally.

[Professor Bennett]

"She's more of a strike first and then figure out facts later, and even if she's in the wrong she will turn it around so she is right...she learnt well. My Uncle always tells her that she would've made a great Deatheater, I really do not need her to be hearing things like that" she shook her head, giving a chuckle at his parents situation, "My parents were never silly enough to get caught...how are your parents? Are they still in...?" she asked, it didnt sound polite but he'd know hopefully that she didnt mean it that way.

Beth nodded her head with a laugh, "Thats exactly how it was with my lot, Ally is usually the one to hold grudges and hate on people but she never once turned on her father yet Mark, the calm and peaceful one who never held a grudge was suddenly hating his father and writing songs about how he felt. Strange how that works out really. And how is the little one? She accepts you I assume?" she continued to bounce Christian who was begin to grow unsettled.
"Well all you have to do is buy Ally some shoes, she will carry out any threat to Daniel if you pay her in shoes" she gave a laugh, wishing this wasnt so but unfortunately Ally was this fickle.

"Im glad that you're taking it slowly, and yes thats a good sign that she hasnt killed you yet! My kids are fine yeah, Mark is a Healer now, Ally works at Coopers & Sons Bookstore in Hogsmeade, Zac & Sebastian have left school this year so I will have them to bully into getting a career. Then we have this little one..." she laughed at the squirming baby and rolled her eyes, "Walk with me?" she inclined her head as she set Christian down again, walking him slowly. "Angelo is excellent as well, he's the Herbology Professor...thats how we met" she smiled, thinking about Angelo always managed to make her smile.

[Harry Armitage]

Harry nodded as she explained Ally, laughing at the description of her. "Well, it's not a great compliment but hey, it's impressive she has that skill," he remarked good naturedly before snorting as she asked after his parents. "Yeah, your parents were better at the avoiding traps side of being a Deatheater than mine, they walked right into that one and paid for it with Richard's life. I'm still bitter about that but it was their own fault for daring to oppose the Ministry by being involved in the Magical Law Enforcement department and the Dark Lord, they were mental if they thought they could get away with it," he said, rolling his eyes. "They're still in, I doubt they'll ever get out to be honest. They're not particularly concerned about that though since they heard I was still a Deatheater and the information that an Armitage was still on 'the dark side' satisfied them. I don't quite have the heart to visit and tell them I faked my death and left the Deatheaters to be with the woman and children they never approved of," he explained in a grim way before shrugging it off.

Looking curiously at Beth he smiled along as she explained her lot was the same. "It's weird how that happens isn't it? I think Dan has been the man of the household figure since I left so, naturally, he's pretty stubborn about keeping it that way. I think he sort of reckons I'm only back to uh... you know shag his mother again and then leave," he explained with a wince as he remembered that reunion with his children. His smile returned then and he nodded enthusiastically, "Katie completely accepts me, she just wanted her daddy back after all. Rebecca says she's a mummy's girl, I'm not having that, I'm sticking around and turning her into a daddy's girl, I think I'll have more luck with her than Dan and Rachael!" With a jokingly scheming smile Harry nodded, "Thanks for the tip, I'll remember that for the next time I need Dan threatened."

"Yes, I supposed it was, I'm glad you see it that way too," Harry said with a slightly laugh, "She still has time to pull the Avada out on me but I have a feeling her hatred for me isn't making her reach for the Unforgiveables," he remarked good humouredly. Listening as she spoke of her kids he smiled, "It sounds like they're all doing really well for themselves, I'm really glad that things ended up good for you after the Deatheaters, Elizabeth. It gives me a kind of faith that it'll be alright for me too," he explained thoughtfully and then glancing down as Christian was squirming he nodded with a laugh. "Of course," he agreed, looking to her as she helped her son to walk along with them, "Aaah I see! So... love blossoms at Hogwarts for the professors, as well as the students, then?" he asked good naturedly. "So where are you and little Christian off to today then? I sense you're a mother on a mission to spoil her son, hmm?" he questioned with a knowing smile.

[Professor Bennett]

Beth shook her head and tucker hair behind her ear, "No, my parents were better at weasling their way out of anything and having more money than most! My sisters and I had to take a considerably smaller trust fund thanks to them paying off people" she acted as if she'd had been given pittance but in reality the amount she'd received more than 20 years ago barely had a dent in it and she'd raised 3 children off of it, all of whom never had to want for anything.

Laughing as he recalled Daniel's theory about his return, Beth looked at Harry with a taunting smirk, "And? Is his theory correct?! I mean...you are a man" she shrugged her shoulders and shook her head to show she was kidding, "Good luck turning her into a Daddys Girl, Raymond has had a hold on Ally since she was born but he cannot get the boys around to being for him...Zac is a complete mummys boy and it annoys Raymond so much...I love it!" she smirked evilly, it gave her so much pleasure when Raymond asked Zac to do something for him but Zac would always ask Beth for her approval first, it annoyed Raymond so much.

"I didnt go looking for love, it just seemed to find me again! I got lost on my way to my office and went into his office by mistake...and the rest is history! Or the future...or whatever!" she laughed, her cheeks pinkening slightly as she spoke about her lover. "Well I think Christian is ready for his first toy broom, arent you baby?! And my mother keeps nagging at me to take the kids to see her so Im going to buy them all new robes and some kind of bribe to make them agree...and I think I may be the dutiful wife to be and buy some ingredients to make Angelo his favourite meal...my mother also wants him to come along" she laughed, she hadnt told Ange yet and was thinking his favourite meal served by her in a very nice new lingerie set might be enough to get him to agree to going with her.

[Harry Armitage]

Harry smiled then in amusement at Beth's words and nodded, "Ah touché," he admitted good humouredly. "Yes I think my parents didn't like to weasel their way out of anything, they were too proud and tight to bribe anyone. Not that they needed to have bothered about money, ever. Well... they paid for that pride I suppose," he concluded with a casual shrug.

Wincing slightly once more at Dan's theory he opened his mouth, about to protest, and then merely laughed with a shake of his head. "No, no, not just to shag her anyway!" he admitted and then shook his head again, "No uh... that theory was justified because the day I was reunited with Rachael and Dan I happened to have been upstairs with their mother doing just such a thing and when I came downstairs they were stood there and then Dan came up that theory. I suppose he has right to believe that," Harry commented with an amused snort.

Looking sideways at Beth he smiled as she suggested he'd need luck turning his daughter into a daddy's girl. "Oh, believe me, I'm wishing and praying for all the luck in the world to get at least one of my kids to like me. I know it's a lost cause, but I have a feeling Rachael's more like me than the other two, but I can't see her being all cute Daddy's girl somehow," he admitted thoughtfully, momentarily amused at the idea of Rachael ever being 'cute'. She'd probably kill him for associating the word 'cute' with her in any way! "How about your oldest, Mark isn't it? Which side is he on?" he asked jokingly due to her evil smirk when she proudly told him Zac was a mummy's boy.

Looking at her as if to say 'I don't believe you' he then shook his head with a smile, "I see... well that's certainly an anecdote for the wedding speeches," he remarked good naturedly, noticing her blush as she talked of Angelo and thinking it so nice that she was one example of an ex-Deatheater whose life truly had turned around for the better. Harry then looked to her son as she spoke of him and nodded with a small smile as she talked of going to visit her mother. "Bribing your children! Does that really work?" he asked then jokingly, as though making a mental note to do so with his own. "Yes, Eleanor, right?" he said, recalling her mother though the Reynolds family was one of those well known, respected families. "And how are your sisters and their family? Sorry, I'm being terribly nosy, what can I say... it's odd seeing an old... 'colleague', it has been years," he explained with an apologetic smile.

[Professor Bennett]

"Im guessing my parents didnt think it too shameful to bribe themselves out of a jail cell, they have their moments when pride matters I suppose" she gave a shake of her head, her parents had refrained from telling anyone about her marriage to a muggle because of how it'd look but didnt care who knew they'd paid copious amounts of money to appear innocent.

Making a small 'o' with her mouth as Harry told her that he had indeed being doing just what Daniel had accused him of, she shook her head with a smile "Mark? He's more for me than his father but he has his moments, he's a bit torn I guess...but then he is all for Ally, he has lost countless girlfriends because of his devotion to his sister" she nodded her head and looked down at Christian, who was looking up at her as she spoke of Ally, "Yes...you like your sisters too dont you?!" she laughed and continued to walk slowly with him.

"The family are fine really, Im back in their favour because I had this little one here...a pureblood! And yes, bribing your kids always works...trust me" she laughed, smiling at her old colleague before picking Christian up, "Would you like to have a coffee? This little one needs a nap" she looked towards the coffee shop then back to Harry.