change the prophecy

Cressida stepped inside, listening for some tell tale signs that the little Shacklebolt was running around as well. But as she didn’t hear anything, she turned around to face her friend. A smile automatically formed on her face upon seeing the excited expression on the woman’s face. “You will get a slice of cake no matter how you feel, so there’s that,” she said with a smile to her friend as she walked further into the house, towards the kitchen to make sure that they could get some part of the cake. Sade’s house was one she just knew like it had been her own as well. She put down the box on the counter and leaned against it as she watched Sade.

"That's what I like to hear, Cress." Sade loved when her friends popped by to visit, a visit from Hestia and Cressida felt like a warm hug. It felt like the nights spent in Slytherin Dorms, giggling and talking about what happened in a day. She was immensely happy for Cressida, who had finally took a stand against her family to prioritise her happiness. Following her friend into the kitchen, Sade immediately reached for the champagne flutes. Looking into her fridge, she pulled out a bottle of Prosecco. Sure, it wasn't champagne but it definitely was a celebratory bottle. "I reckon this calls for a celebration. Don't you?"

He was fascinated with tracking every expression from Jasper, genuinely taking an interest in every word leaving the excited little boy's mouth. He wasn't just any boy, just any kid. Jasper was his son. Even with some time to wrap his mind around the idea, it still felt surreal to him. "I don't know. I don't want to confuse him." This was the first time he was dealing with a situation like this, he didn't know what the right approach was. He hadn't told his family yet, he wanted to do that in person. Perhaps if this would go well Sade and Jasper would join him. In an ideal world they'd stay over there, safe until the war was over. He knew he couldn't ask her to give up her life, or demand she move, but he could provide her with the option and let her make her own choice. She had kept their son safe without him for the last five years, but this was different. If his cover was blown he could put them in danger and he needed her to know everything he could tell her without putting her in danger, so that she was prepared.

Sade's eyes glanced over Jasper and Jeff as they interacted, picking up on every similarity. Trying to soak everything in before Jasper bolted to his room to fetch the jigsaw. Beforehand, her noticing Jasper's similarities with Jeff was simply by memory but in real time, there was little quips and quirks that Sade had never noticed before. Jeff was right, introducing him as Jasper's father was perhaps a little too daunting for the child to understand. Especially so soon. Sade nodded, smiling softly. "I understand, it's probably too daunting just yet." Typical Sade, jumping ahead of the moment. The pair hadn't even spent half an hour together and she had them fused as a family. Perhaps wishful thinking or the result of a guilty conscience. "You decide when you want or if - you want that to change," Sade clarified with a nod, "Just let me know."

The last time he'd been at her apartment was completely different to this one. He had been young, just starting his undercover gig and still unsure how much time it would take and what he would have to give up for it. Now looking at his five year old son standing before him he wondered if it had been worth it. He'd missed so much of his life already. His heart swelled when Jasper smiled at him, he couldn't help but smile back at the little boy, listening intently to every word Jasper was telling him.

Jasper seemed to thrive when visitors came to the apartment, before Sade even got the chance to exchange a few words, the young boy was vying for the attention. Whether it was inviting them to play or showing off his room, this was the perfect setting for Jeff to get to know Jasper. All being well, the pair would warm to each other quickly. Unable to fight the small blush that peppered her cheeks when Jeff winked. Hopeful that he would be too distracted with Jasper to notice. This time around, Sade felt much more at ease, an unbearable weight had been lifted off her shoulders. The last time that they had interacted, Sade felt skittish and a hollow version of her typically bold self. Sure, she was far from being absolved of her actions but as her eyes took in the pair interacting, her confidence only grew.

Aurora might not be able to relate fully to what Sade was going through, but she could understand the shift in her priorities with having Jasper. She could never imagine being a single parent. There was a lot of respect for the witch in front of her.

Since the day Jasper was born, Sade had relied on Kingsley’s support, and being both an amazing uncle and brother, he had been a lifeline for her. Sometimes, Sade felt she wasn’t holding up her end of the bargain, Kingsley spent far too much time fussing over her and withholding his own worries and emotions from her.

Starter for: Cressida & Sade ( @sadeshacklebolt )

Music drifted quietly into Sade’s living room, the token tale of a Saturday well spent catching up on errands, chores, and daily maintenance. Fully set for an evening spent unwinding, Sade lifted her head from her book as the doorbell chimed. Scuffling towards the door with her slippers on. At the sight of Cressida, Sade practically squealed with excitement. Standing to the side immediately to allow the other woman in.

Kingsley loved his nephew more than life, but it was no understatement to say that Jasper was something akin to a hurricane. He loved spending time with him, but that sometimes came at the expense of quality time with his sister too and when Sade was on the verge of making a crucial decision that put her at significant risk, Kingsley was glad of the private time. He settled back into the sofa, his eyes following Sade as she passed before she disappeared from view. With her gone, Kingsley pulled his wand from his pocket and cast a few extra protection spells and wards over the home - he did it regularly, but it never hurt to ensure they were still holding up well.

Settling into the sofa with her own mug in hand, Sade looked down into her tea as Kingsley brought up the Order. In recent weeks, Sade had been interested in increasing her involvement, to maybe allow herself to be put forward for a few missions. Acting as a safe house wasn’t an option, bringing trouble to the home she shared with her son was never a step Sade was willing to take. Her involvement in the Order was supportive, rather than proactive, and anybody who knew Sade was aware at how much being sidelined irritated her. Nevertheless, it was something she knew Kingsley would disagree with. That was why she had visited a few of his friends, other influential figures within the Order’s ranks.

Seeing Sade again it struck him how beautiful she was, even more so than she was when they first met. It had been what drew him to her at first, but her personality had been what charmed him, what made him fall for her in the short time they had been together.

It felt strange to see Jeff standing in her apartment, especially after so much time had passed. In five years, Sade had built a family home out of her small flat. When she first fell pregnant, Sade panicked worrying about how she could ever raise a child within the slightly smaller two-bed flat. But now, as photographs and memories lined the walls. It felt surprisingly intimate, inviting somebody in to view the life she had built for her son. There was a pang of guilt, well aware that there was a missing figure from those memories, and that he now stood in the heart of her home, able to evaluate them all.

Working as an auror had always been her dream, even as a little girl she dreamed about making a difference. As she grew older and the war progressed her determination to fight became even stronger. She never wavered in her career choice.

Sade had found it difficult to adjust to working life - mixed with parenthood, the odds felt incredibly against her. In these first few months, Sade was focusing on keeping her head down and readjusting her schedule before attempting to rejoin the career ladder.

Being an auror meant working unusual and irregular hours and days, and Kingsley wouldn’t change it for a thing. Much of his spare time was now filled with Order business, but he was determined that at least once a week he would try and see his sister and his nephew. The war was important, but not so important that he would toss his family aside for it. His battle injury that had left him near to death had solidified that importance – and it was that injury that made him so scared of Sade increasing her involvement. Kingsley had never truly struggled for words, but he wasn’t sure how to express to his sister how scared he was of losing her to the Death Eaters. And what would happen to Jasper without his mother?

Sade always enjoyed when Kingsley called round, usually when Jasper was awake, they barely had a minute to catch-up. Now that Jasper was asleep, it felt like the perfect opportunity for a cup of tea and a much needed catch-up with her brother. Sade had been trying juggle Jasper, her return to work and attempt to increase her role within the order. It seemed like the pair were passing ships. Pushing herself off of the sofa, Sade patted Kingsley on the shoulder as she passed. "No, don't worry. I can pop on the brew."

status: for @sadeshacklebolt

From the weekend, Sade had been anxiously cleaning every corner of her apartment. Finding herself charming Jasper's bedsheets to avoid creasing, but with a five year-old son and a new work routine. Her desire to be meticulous had ultimately failed and soft toys sat on her sofa, and jigsaw puzzles were desperately scattered across their coffee table. Jasper was dressed like a new pin, and long may it last. Sade, however, was not quite as together. Having prepared a spot of dinner, and spent her time cleaning and getting Jasper ready, she looked somewhat flustered. It seemed that Jeff was going to get the full experience on his first visit.

There was a emotional war going on inside Kingsley's mind, and no amount of sitting and thinking about it privately would do him any good. It was almost selfish of him, but Kingsley figured if there was ever a time to be selfish was now. He'd heard whispers that Sade was angling for more missions within the Order and he'd be a liar if he said that didn't terrify him. He would never presume that he could control Sade or what she did, but that didn't mean he couldn't heavily warn against it. Kingsley apparated onto Sade's doorstep, knocking once as a courtesy before he pushed the door open and walked in. He'd timed it knowing Jasper would already be in bed, which meant that hopefully he could talk to his sister with minimal interruptions.

A long day rounded up with a seamless bedtime for Jasper and a cup of tea had become the norm for Sade in recent months. While other twenty-seven year olds were thankful for a wild night, Sade's evenings were made with a book and a warm beverage. Evidently, her intention to be a bit more independent as Jasper grew had faltered slightly, but Sade wouldn't change it for the world. Sade was just about to embark on a new chapter, to engrossed in her book to notice a brief knock at the door. Sade jumped slightly in surprise as her brother made his way into her living room.

It had been too long since she had last seen Sade, considering they were both in the order, and both had those that liked to keep them safe. Her head shakes at the other. "You really have nothing to be sorry about. I'm glad we are meeting like this. It has been too long." Aurora really had to stop and start making more time for her friends.

Sade was fond of Aurora, through the years of being in the Order of the Phoenix, the pair had gotten to know each other and despite having two years between them, Sade seemed to have found a kindred spirit. "Far too long, I never seem to get much time to myself these days." Especially since her return to work, her ability to see friends had faltered significantly.

Aurora was running a few errands before she had to make it back to her shop. She hated leaving it closed, but sometimes it was easier to do what she needed in the middle of the afternoon. She found she was busier closer to dusk, most people stumbling in and curious what she did. It was happy place.

Sade's arms extended to steady Aurora, she chuckled breathlessly. Sade needed to learn how to slow down, her mind always seemed to be racing, jumping between one task to another. Relieved that her bag from Magic Neeps remained in tight grasp following the collision.

"What do you want me to do? I can't scream and yell or get angry. One, I don't want to scare him and two, I don't think jt'd be right for me to act that way towards you." She was the mother of his child. It was still hard to wrap his head around the information, five minutes ago his whole world had been different. At least to him. Jasper had existed before that but he had simply no clue about it. There were things he'd been hiding too, things he planned to come clean to her about when they were out of the public eye. She had to know who he really was, that if things got worse here, that she had a safe place back in Boston. That his entire family was there. God, his family. How would they react to him having a child? A child that was five years old that didn't know them or him.

"I don't know...I just -" While Sade understood the dilemma, she would much prefer to keep Jasper as unaware of the situation as possible, the guilt was killing her. Anger and shouting would be easier for her to deal with, than this. "You never should have found out this way. I should have told you back then." But after five years, Sade didn't have the right to try and control his reaction to save her own feelings. Jeff had lost five years of his son life, as a result of Sade's fears and worry, Sade could cope with guilt. "But I know it's too little far too late."

"I did. I missed so much..." Jeff trailed off with a sigh, looking at the adorable little boy. He was trying to stay calm, not wanting to cause a scene in public or alert anyone to what was currently going on. No one could know that Jasper was his, it would only put him and Sade in danger if his mission would fail, or they could be used as leverage. Jeff never planned on telling her the truth about who he actually was, but now it was different and he felt like he had to reevaluate the situation. Just because she had been keeping things from him and it upset him, didn't mean he could risk putting either of them in danger because his feelings got hurt. "If you wanted to find me you could have. Perhaps with a little difficulty, I won't deny that, but if you really wanted to you could've found me." Running a hand through his hair he took a deep breath to center himself. "I know I cannot even comprehend how hard this must have been for you, to go through this alone." He could acknowledge that, command her for taking care of Jasper well, he seemed like a well adjusted kid, but the truth was, Jeff knew nothing about their life or about Jasper. He had the desire to know more, to know everything.

I missed so much, four words that broke Sade. In all her years of reminiscing and reimagining their situation, she had pictured anger, bitterness, and venom. But the wistful nature of those words falling from Jeff’s lips felt horrendous. To think that she had caused that hurt, the guilt of this moment was sure to haunt her until her very last breath. Over the years, she had found solace in scrapbooking and documenting everything. Believing that sliding photographs and milestone momentos across a table would ease the pain of absence. But as she stood there looking at Jeff, Sade clicked that those hours spent documenting were more to subside her own guilty conscience rather than ease Jeff’s pain. How foolish was she to believe otherwise?