Home sweet... home? (Invite only)

It had been years since he had last seen his parents but he just had to introduce them to Sophia. He could see himself spending the rest of his life with her, in fact he couldn't now imagine life without her. His mother had always dreamt of the perfect girls for Ric and he didnt think she would be disappointed.

"You nearly ready love?" He asked readjusting the tie around his neck. He was more nervous now than he had ever been, he just wondered whether his brother Ames was going to be there but he highly doubted it. He hated his family now for having power he didn't.

Sophia frowned at her reflection. Her dress didn't look tight, but it was certainly tighter than the last time she wore it. And were her... never mind.

"Coming," she said, turning to face him. Then, laughed. "You're more nervous than I am," she teased. "I'm the one who ought to be nervous, y'know."

He smiled. "You look beautiful love." He said leaning in to kiss her on the cheek. "I haven't seen them in years and its my brother im more bothered about. He's hated me ever since i got my Hogwarts letter and he didn't." He said straightening his tie one last time before holding out his hand.

"Right lets get to it." He smiled and apparated them to the house he grew up in. "Wow it feels so weird being back here after so many years. I don't think ive been here since i was 12." He said he had many memories here both good and bad. He knocked on the door but it was already open and immediately knew something was wrong. "Wand out." He whisper and within seconds his wand appeared in his hand and he was off creeping into the house. "Homenum Revielo." He muttered which was so quiet is was barely hearable. Once he found traces of humans in the front living room he slowly crept his way towards the room he used to love most.

He peeked his head around the door and found the room empty on first inspection. He sighed and stood away from the wall to walk into the room but what he found made his heart stop. Laid in the middle of the room were his parents obviously inches from death. "No!" He cried and dived to their sides. "Please don't die, not now please." He begged taking his mothers hands and laying a gentle hand on his fathers chest.

"Thank you," Sophia told him appreciatively. I'm sure it will be fine, she wanted to say, but for some reason the words refused to reach her lips, so instead, she gave him a smile, then took his hand.

"Twelve? That's practically ages ago? Why so long?" she asked in surprise. She drew her wand, just as he instructed her to do so, having sensed something was wrong by his shift in demeanor. Sophia kept her wand out, heart aching in empathy as Asric knelt over his parents. Hadn't enough people died this summer? Wasn't there already enough hurt in the world? Ric still felt guilt over the death of his brother Stark - would he also carry the guilt of his parents' death, too?

How was that the least bit fair.

"Is there anythin' Ah can do, Ric?" she asked quietly.

Aldan wondered if he should have bought the chocolate frogs instead of his pack of Bertie Bott's. He wrinkled his nose, disgusted as he tasted something like a sock. Urghhhh! Aldan had escaped the house once again, knowing his parents would be busy with their meeting with some stuck up adult he'd yet to bother hearing the name of, for the sole purpose of not wanting to remember the goon.

"Time to face the music," he muttered as he realized he'd been gone for over six hours, having roamed a park nearby and found a few new friends, and no doubt the goon would have finished his business talking with his parents. He trudged up the stairs, popping a bean in his mouth and whistling as he was glad it tasted of cherry. A rare flavour he seldom got with them.

"I'm back..." Aldan called and when he didn't receive an answer or scolding lecture suddenly, he frowned and toed off his shoes, padding down the hall. "Mum? Dad? You guys still in here with the goon?"

Aldan turned the corner to the living room and stopped, his eyes widening and the flavour bean box crashing to the floor loudly, beans splattering everywhere at his feet. He barely registered that there was another person in the room, only seeing some man beside his parents.

"What the hell did you do to my parents!?" he yelled in anger.

He shrugged. "Our master liked to keep us close by so we stayed with him during the terms to get in more training. I didn't have time to see my parents much not that they cared too much they were just pleased i was doing something worthwhile. Something id get a career out of." He said making his way over to the door.

A tear leaked from his eyes as he just sat there in shock. He had no idea who or they they did this but he was going to find out and they were going to pay. He was going to tear each and everyone of them to shreads. He spun and landed on his feet as the sound of someone else coming into the house reached his ears. He immediately went to stand in front of Sophia to protect her from harm.

"Your parent?" He asked, what was this kid playing at? Did he think he was funny because he certainly didn't and he was on the verge of killing him where he stood. "Who are you?"

Sophia stood there in surprise. She had convinced herself that the boy's name was mere coincidence, and yet, here he stood, demanding to know what had been done to his parents. The woman put a hand on Asric's shoulder as he moved in front of her.

"Aldan!" she exclaimed, then turned a questioning glance to Asric. "Yeh really donnae know this boy?"

Who in the blazes was this bloke and why was he demanding to know who Aldan was. This murderer should know that the two had a son, well three sons actually. Aldan narrowed his eyes at the man. He opened his mouth to snap at the man when a woman's voice called his name.

"Sophia?" he asked, confused as his anger subsided for a split moment. What was she doing here? Was she helping this bloke kill his parents!? "What in Merlin's pants are you doing here?" Aldan brought a hand to his forehead, a headache forming, and he turned to the unknown man once more.

"My name is Aldan Chaos," he said coolly, "and believe it or not, but those were my parents you just murdered."

"Aldan!" Sophia admonished sternly. "Yeh watch yer tone, laddie. There arenae any murderers here. We've only jist got here. These are Asric's parents', as well."

He raised an eyebrow in shock. "Wait you know him?" He asked looking between them both. "Of course not ive never seen the kid before." He said narrowing his eyes in thought.

"Murdered? Why would i kill my own parents?" He asked blocking the sight of his parents out, he just couldn't look at them right now. "So where did they get you from then? I think they would have told me if i had a little brother." He said turning his wand in his hand, at least he thoughts they would.

"Sorry Soph," Aldan said unapologetic as he narrowed his eyes once again at the bloke. He was starting to piece things together, recalling an Asric Chaos and a twin brother that Asric had, based off Sophia's words when they first met. All Aldan's parents had ever actually admitted to him was that he had two older brothers well beyond school age that he'd never met.

Registering Sophia's words, he deflated some and looked away from Asric and his... dead... parents. Merlin and to think he'd just seen them earlier this morning before he snuck out. That damn goon was probably the culprit.

"Of course they weren't going to tell you about me. I'm no doubt more than a decade younger than you," Aldan said in an annoyed tone at who he assumed --though he was willing to bet it was true-- to be his older brother. "It's not like you ever contacted them before this time or came to visit now. Neither would my other brother, though I have no idea what his name is. I've only just found out yours." He knew he was being a brat, but he'd just come home to find a stranger near his now unliving parents. What was a kid supposed to think?

"So you didn't see the goon?" Aldan inquired of Sophia after he glared at Asric.

"Aye, love," Sophia told Asric. "I met him by chance a coupla months ago. I thought his surname was a coincidence, as you've never mentioned him, before." She moved to stand at his side, placing a comforting hand on his arm.

"No, Aldan, we didnae see anyone. We arrive here an' the door was unlocked an' then came in, but it was already too late."

He took a deep breath as his words sunk in. "Thats a bit harsh, i was doing it for their protection. You can't have a job like mine without making enemies. It was for their own good." He said moving to sit on one of the chairs, it hadnt been that long ago that he and his brother used to sit here whilst their father read them a story. They loved his stories.

"He's called Ames." He said his eyes glazed over as he look into the fire place. "But you wont find him, he's living abroad somewhere now i believe." He said as a single tear leaked down the side of his face. He blinked a few times before snapping out of his daze and wiping the tear away. "Right." He said getting to his feet to form a plan. They didnt have any other family so that was that idea out the window so that left leaving his little brother into a care home.

He took a deep breath and gave Sophia a quick look. "Do you know what this guy looks like?" He asked, he would personally track this man down and show them you cant mess with the chaos'. "Pack your bags it looks like you'll have to come stay with me."

"Aren't you just a headmaster?" Aldan asked, wondering what kind of other job the man could have that would've put his family in danger. A short image of a shadowed man jumped to Aldan's mind and he pushed it away, restraining the urge to rub his scarred neck.

"Ames," Aldan repeated to himself, watching Asric silently. It seemed wheevr Ames went or how he went must've been pretty bad, because Asric looked like the sort of bloke who didn't let a tear slip that easily maybe. He blinked when his older brother stood up. What was he planning now?

"No idea on the name and I didn't see his face... sorry. The bloke was supposed to come here for a meeting with mum and dad about a party. I didn't really pay attention before I left for the day," Aldan admitted and he looked away, feeling guilty for not being here when his parents could've been saved.

"I'm... what?" Aldan looked at Asric incredulously. "No thanks, I'll just stay here." He definitely didn't want to leave his home to go live with his brother, especially having not known him.

"No, im a hunter first, headmaster second and professor third." He said looking around for the first sign of clues. He was going to find this guy if it was the last thing he did. He could already smell his scent on the furnature.

"Yes Ames." He said moving to look at the book shelf where a book had gone missing. "Wheres the missing book?" He asked looking around the room, he knew his dad was very strict when it came to his books so it couldn't be far if it was him that had taken it. "What book went there doyou remember?" He asked, he needed to know whether his parents were killed because of him or something they had hidden.

"It doesnt matter ill find him and when i do ill rip his lungs out and send him to the company he works for as a warning. They wont recognise him when im done with him." He said looking behind the sofas to see if there was anything there.

He laughed. "You have no choice kid, you live here you die. It belongs to Ames now and he has no idea about you, even if he did that would make him more likely to kill you. He hates our family because hes not one of us. Hes sour about being a squib." He said stopping in his search. You have two choices. Come stay with me and have your own room or go stay in an orphanage where you have to share everything with kids you dont know. Its your choice."

"A hunter," echoed Aldan, narrowing his eyes. That explained things at least and Aldan wondered why his brother was a hunter on top of his headmaster position. That had to be straining. He leaned against the wall, trusting Asric and Sophia, though he dared not look at his parents.

When Asric questioned what book was missing Aldan looked over and noticed the book on heritage was missing. That was weird. "It was the ancestry of today's purebloods. Dad had me read that one last week so he usually keeps it right there, since he keeps the ones I finished on that shelf." Aldan was a little surprised by the violence in Asric's words, but he chose to ignore that. He didn't know his older brother anyways.

Aldan stared at Asric. So Ames was the sort to try and kill him? He was a little surprised by the vehemency that Ames had to want to harm his own family for being magical. He narrowed his eyes at Asric, thinking. He had seen an orphanage once or twice in his escapades out into the muggle world and he had no desire to go there.

"Fine, whatever," he said through gritted teeth and he turned to head towards his room. He looked around at his room, packed with random objects from various places and books that he'd memorized. He knew his parents death hadn't really hit him yet and he just hoped it wouldn't for awhile.

Sophia stood quietly, watching Asric as he started looking for clues, her arms wrapped about her middle. It had become a habit of hers recently, folding her arms over her stomach rather than across her chest. A frown puckered her brow. She didn't like to hear Ric speak so violently, even if she did agree that whoever had murdered his parents deserved to be punished.

Poor Asric. Poor Aldan. It did not escape her notice that neither could bring themselves to look at their parents.