This new day sings within my soul [Rhiannon, Ivana]

Dermod never expected to feel nervous about apparating. To feel any kind of apprehension - aside from just before a fight to the death - was so rare for the writer that it was worthy of note, but today what he was feeling went beyond that. His thoughts were so carefully concealed after decades of practise that no observer, casual or otherwise, would be able to tell he was feeling anything other than slight irritation as he waited in the hallway of the Schull castle. Were he apparating alone, or even if he wasn't going to be accompanied by his entire family, it would be a different matter; but today wasn't in any way ordinary. Today, they would be accompanying Rhiannon to London to purchase her new school supplies.

The Irishman wasn't sure what was more daunting - the fact that his little girl was grown up enough to be buying her first wand, or that he would be apparating her to Diagon Alley in just a few moments' time. A couple of years earlier he wouldn't have given the matter a moment's thought. Side-along apparation was no harder than transporting onesself. Providing one had full use of one's wand hand. He stood, ostensibly staring at a large tapestry of his maternal line and thinking about how humiliated he would feel if anyone knew he had apparated himself to London and back several dozen times over the past week, just to make certain he could do it left-handed. The risk was minimal...and yet, once again he wondered if he should make some excuse...but what? As far as he knew, Gabriella hadn't mastered side-along apparation and he couldn't trust Cliona, capable though she sometimes seemed these days. If Ivana was here...but she was meeting them in London, having had business of her own to attend to that meant she couldn't be at the castle this morning.

Dermod was pulled from his musings by what sounded like fifteen overexcited elephants dancing on the stairs - which probably meant that Rhiannon would be with him any moment now. Before that though, Cliona wandered out of the kitchen, finishing off what looked to be a large slice of chocolate cake topped with anchovies as she came. She was wearing a set of their mother's best dress robes, old-fashioned but perfectly presentable, and about half the jewellery she owned. Licking the icing off her fingers with obvious pleasure, she mumbled something vague before pulling out her wand and heading for the front door. He cringed slightly as it was opened; it was a bright, sunny day, weather he had never felt comfortable with. If only it was autumn already...but no, then Rhiannon would be off to Hogwarts, sorted into Slytherin and the castle would be quiet, but for Gabriella and her herd of cats.

As if on cue, the small woman appeared, immaculate as always, heels clicking on the stone floor as she joined him. He didn't ask, but the Irishman suspected she was looking forward to this almost as much as if Rhiannon were her own child. He was relieved to see her, because once again his thoughts were wandering, this time to the unthinkable, the possibility that his daughter might not follow him into his own house... but of course, there was one other house that would be acceptable. Gabriella had been a Ravenclaw. If that happened to Rhiannon, he could pretend to be just as proud.

But now his patience was just about exhausted, and he strode to the stairs, looking up for any sign of his daughter's appearance. "Don't forget your book list" he called, thinking it was very likely that the little girl had it memorised anyway, but resisting the temptation to go upstairs and find out what was taking so long. The sooner he had safely apparated them into Diagon Alley, the better.

Today would be the best day ever!

Little Rhiannon Morfessa felt ecstatic while she rummaged through her closet, looking for some nice clothes she could wear. There already was a large pile of dresses, skirts and blouses on the ground right behind her but she was still taking piece after piece out of her closet and the pile got bigger and bigger. The day was special and so it was just logical that she also wanted to look special. Who knew who she would meet there? Maybe even a few future class mates.

The thought of meeting so many new people was half exciting and half terrifying for the little girl. What if they wouldn't like her? So far she had never complained about only having her father, aunt, sister and... whatever Gabriella was around her because they always had been enough but now that September was coming closer, Rhiannon wondered whether it would have been better to meet other people her age before getting thrown into a train with all of them. She wasn't afraid, though. Just curious.

She had nothing to wear. The brunette pouted a little but since no one could see her, she stopped soon again. Ivana had promised her to go shopping before she'd go to Hogwarts and now she regretted that they hadn't already gone. Things would be a lot easier now. With a deep sigh, Rhiannon finally took a dark pink dress out of her closet as well as matching shoes and a matching hair ribbon. Her house-elf helped her to get dressed and a few minutes later, the girl was looking at her reflection. The ribbon looked nice in combination with her dark her and the dress wasn't too bad.

Okay. She was ready.

Rhiannon ran down the corridor towards the stairs and took two at a time. "I have it with me!" she shouted, glad that she'd thought of taking it before she'd left her room. It was only when she was almost downstairs that she slowed down again. She was a lady and ladies didn't run, right? Moreover she really wanted to behave so that her father would buy more than just the necessary stuff. Books were great and finally getting her own wand would be the best but there were surely lots of other interesting things to buy.

The girl stopped in front of Dermod and her gaze flickered over to Gabriella for a second. Would the woman come with them? The thought wasn't very entertaining but Rhiannon kept her mouth shut. She really didn't want to upset Dermod, especially not today. Smiling brightly, the little witch took her father's hand and looked up at him. "I'm ready. Can we go now?"

His daughter hurtled down the stairs like an excited whirlwind before checking herself, slowing and taking the last few steps at a sedate pace before she arrived in front of him. She was so obviously trying to contain her excitement which was adorable...and at the same time almost upsetting. The little girl was growing up, and worse than that, she wanted to grow up and was making a conscious effort to behave like an adult...or at least like a child who was ready to leave home and go off to Hogwarts by herself. Not that she would be truly alone, he reminded himself. Since Ivana's kidnap and subsequent rescue, Dermod had learned of the Regan children who already attended Hogwarts. The knowledge that there were at least some good pureblood families that his daughter could associate with made him feel a lot happier.

And of course she was ready. Ready for their shopping expedition, though whether she was ready to face the outside world was another matter entirely. But the family had hidden within the castle for too long, and if Rhiannon was to truly understand the world, she needed to be a part of it. "Yes, we can go now. Right now!" he told her, trying to share in some of the joy that the little girl was undoubtedly feeling. With her her small hand clasped in his own, he led them out of the front door of the castle, just far enough past the centuries-old wards that protected them from unwanted visitors. He nodded to Gabriella, letting her know that she could apparate whenever she chose - recalling belatedly that there were occasions she had to make two separate attempts rather than cover the entire distance in one go - and then looked down at Rhiannon.

"Are you ready?" he asked, betraying none of the concern he was feeling. Dermod hadn't paid so much attention to this simple act since the day he had taken his apparation test. Deliberation...determination... "Close your eyes!" he told Rhiannon, for no other reason than it made him feel more in control if she wasn't watching him. Taking a deep breath, they turned on the spot; the Irishman's own eyes as tightly shut as he hoped his younger daughter's now were.

He felt the grip on his hand loosen, opened his eyes...and breathed an inaudible sigh of relief. "You can open them now" he told Rhiannon, completely unnecessarily. Across the street, Cliona was staring into the window of a shop that sold fashions for younger witches, and Dermod hoped fervently that the old woman wasn't thinking of wandering in there. But even as he watched, she picked a dead fly off the window and dropped it onto the ground, mumbling her distaste as she seemed to realise for the first time that they were there. He decided the best thing was to ignore her.

"So what's it to be first?" he asked the excited child. "Books, robes, potions...or a wand?"

Rhiannon did as she was told and closed her dark brown eyes. The girl felt like a big ball of excitement that would burst any second but she forced herself to stay calm. She was a mature young girl and she wouldn't bounce around like some five-year-old. Still, she had never been so excited in her life and glanced through her half closed eyes to see if something had already happened. They still seemed to be at… oh! The brunette quickly closed her eyes again and waited till that weird feeling was gone. Rhiannon didn't mind apparating but her stomach always felt a little uneasy during the process.

When Dermod told her to open her eyes again, she was already staring at everything in wonder. Her usually rather small sized eyes were wide open and she slowly turned her gaze from left to right to take in everything that was happening around her. The streets were full of people, adults as well as children from every age group and it was overwhelming. As much as she wanted to let go off her father's hand and explore the new world in front of her, she was too scared to actually do it. At least for now. Maybe it would be wiser to stay close to her father. Aunt Clia was close as well and Gabriella… Well, she didn't care much about the other witch.

Her father asked her a question and Rhiannon bit her bottom lip while she thought about it. At first she wanted to shout out that she would love the wand first but then the coolest thing would be over already, wouldn't it? So maybe the wand last… School robes would probably be rather boring and she also didn't want to start with the most boring thing. Hmm. That left the potions and the books. The little girl tilted her head to the side and focused on her daddy.

"What do you think of buying the potion ingredients first? I really want to get my wand last." Her eyes were sparkling when she mentioned the wand - her own one! - and for a brief moment she wondered if she'd made the wrong decision. What if another child would get her wand before she could get to it? But no. If there was one waiting for her then it wouldn't accept any other child. The witch nodded with determination and started to pull at her father's hand. There was just one problem. She had no idea where the potions shop was. Sheepishly she looked back at Dermod. "You lead the way."

He waited for the child to make her decision. It seemed like an age, and Dermod was not the most patient of men, but he forced himself to remain silent while Rhiannon looked around, eyes like saucers as she stared at the strangers that now surrounded them, the shop windows... He would have given almost anything to know what his younger daughter was thinking at that moment. Was she planning her day, or was her mind so full of thoughts that she flitted from one thing to the next like a bright butterfly with barely any pause in between? He felt certain she was going to ask to get her wand first, and the Irishman felt he might need to stall a little longer. Ivana wasn't here yet, and surely she would want to see her little sister's wand choose her.

It was as if Rhiannon had tapped into his thoughts. Maybe her thoughts were more like little inquisitive cats than butterflies; exploring every nook and cranny of the possibility before deciding on her choice. Getting her wand last was what he would have suggested - it was undoubtedly the most exciting part of growing up for any wizarding child and everything else paled into insignificance beside it. Even the new books she would probably be reading the moment they got home would surely not be as exciting as her very own wand. he approved of her decision, though they wouldn't find all the ingredients she would want in Diagon Alley. All the ingredients on the approved list for first years, certainly...but Dermod knew his little daughter had already tried a few experiments of her own and deserved to be trusted with something a bit more...interesting. He had taken care of that a couple of weeks earlier; a small package of less common items awaited her back home, though he hadn't yet decided if Rhiannon should be allowed to take them to Hogwarts with her. What if a less intelligent child handled them with bare hands and suffered the consequences?

He felt a tug on his hand which abruptly ceased, and his lips curled into a fond smile. She was so eager, yet innocent. Not for the first time he feared who she might end up following at Hogwarts; but every time that happened, the writer reminded himself that there were good people there. He had carried out thorough research; the head of Slytherin house was a Regan, a name that to Dermod was now synonymous with honour and good breeding. Not for a moment did he consider the possibility that Rhiannon could be sorted anywhere else; he would make certain that if she was unsure of anything she knew to ask her head of house. And of course he would write to her. Every day, if she wanted him to.

"It's just down this way" he said, gesturing in almost the same direction that Rhiannon had started to walk in. "On the right is a Quidditch supplies store - you might need to go in there in a couple of years - and that tiny one on the left -" he lowered his voice "- is owned by mud... er, muggleborns. I hear their coffee is excellent, but we wouldn't want to risk that, would we?" he asked with a chuckle and a wink. They'd reached the apothecary. The windows were filled with huge different-coloured glass bottles, each containing a different herb or potion ingredient; and the sign read "established 873AD". It wasn't the most popular shop in Diagon Alley, but Dermod knew the owners by reputation and didn't care that their prices were a little higher than one found elsewhere. It was quality that was important.

"Shall we go in?" he asked, giving Rhiannon the opportunity to go first "I wonder if your Aunt...ah, never mind -" he spotted Cliona a little further down the street, apparently just staring happily into space. "If Ivana arrives at least she's going to know where to find us!"

When her father mentioned Quidditch, she looked up at him, trying to find out if he was serious. She had never played it before but what she had read about it sounded quite interesting. Flying had to be fun and it seemed like something she could enjoy. So he wouldn't mind if she wanted to play one day. Rhiannon made a mental note so that she wouldn't forget. She'd watch the games once she'd be at Hogwarts and then maybe, one day, she'd be a player herself. The world was so full of possibilities now and Rhiannon didn't know if she should be more scared or excited.

She looked at the store Dermod had mentioned and nodded at his words. No, they wouldn't want to risk it. Definitely not. "I don't even like coffee, daddy." The girl wrinkled her nose at the thought of the brown liquid but soon she forgot about it again. They reached the apothecary and the brunette witch stopped in front of the window for a while. So many colorful glass bottles! It really looked beautiful. Rhiannon smiled at her father when he waited for her to enter first and did exactly that. She was looking forward to meeting Ivana but now the apothecary was more important. It was almost empty and so she walked straight to the witch behind the counter and after a polite greeting, she handed the old woman her Hogwarts list.

The witch started getting all the needed ingredients and while she was busy, Rhiannon wandered through the shop. She wanted to touch all the different bottles and vials but she forced her hands to stay where they were, close to her body. Soon the woman was done and handed her a bag with all her stuff in it. "Will you let me pay?" she asked her father and smiled happily when he handed her the right amount of money. The little brunette felt all important and responsible when she paid on her own and left the shop with a big smile on her face and the bag in her hand.

"Can we get the books next? I really want to wait with the robes until we meet Ivana." She wouldn't say that her father had a bad taste in clothes because he hadn't but to be honest she trusted her sister a lot more when it came to clothes for girls or women. Not that she would ever say it out loud, of course. Soon the girl also had all the required books and even two other ones that weren't on her list. She was still amazed by everything she saw but slowly she began to feel less foreign. That was the world she belonged to, she was sure about it.

It was just before she wanted to take her father to the next shop when she spotted a little boy with an ice cream cone in his hand. Rhiannon stopped immediately and looked at her father out of bright brown eyes. "Do you think we have time for some ice cream? Maybe Aunt Clia wants some too."

She was running late and she hated it!  Still she was really not interested in having Zyan following her as she spent her day with her father, aunt, and sister.  Of course Sky would not go down for his nap, and that delayed her for far longer than she wanted it to.  He was a good boy most of the time, but he had wanted to go with her,  On a normal day she would have just brought him with her.  By now she was used to all the things that he needed.  Today was not a normal day though.  Today was the day that her little sister would be getting her school supplies, and Ivana knew how important it would be.  She wanted her attention to be fully on Rhiannon, and not on Sky no matter how much she had grown to love the little boy. 

Once he was finally down and she was finally dressed in a manor more appropriate to go get Rhiannon's school supplies.  She remembered how excited she had been to get her wand and all her school clothes, and she had lived at the school before actually starting as a student.  She had to hurry now though.  She grabbed the bag that she had gotten for Rhiannon and went out on the balcony and apparated to Neroli.  She had lied to Zyan and told him that was where she was going to go shopping.  he would figure out she had left quickly and go looking for her.  She knew when she got to the Italian city that she would need to be see by some people.  She quickly went to the bar and found Daniella there as expected; telling the other woman to make sure to tell Zyan that she had seen Ivana.  Yes that would set a nice little trail for him to follow. 

She was still late though, and she could not avoid that.  Quickly she found a nice quiet alley and apparated to Diagon Alley.  She had not been to the place for years now.  She could not recall exactly when the last time was, but there were far less people here.  She noted that it looked like the place was recovering quite nicely.  Of course it could all be an illusion due to the time of year that it was.  The students had to get their supplies from somewhere.  Ivana hurried through the street toward their initial meeting place even though she knew that her family would not be there any longer.  She took a moment to slip inside a shop and glance into the small fire that was burning in the fireplace to locate her father.  A potions shop....Ok that was a start. 

She had to concentrate a bit harder to see Cliona, but after a moment she located her, and could see the name of the store she was in front of.  Perfect.  Ivana nodded at the shopkeeper who nodded back but gave her a confused look.  She didn't care at the moment though.  She just cared about finding her family as quickly as possible, and making up for how late she was.  Ivana walked out of the store, and quickly located Cliona staring up into space.  She approached her Aunt cautiously, not wanting to startle her.  "Aunt Cliona," she said to announce her presence.  The older woman turned to look at her questioningly, and then smiled pointing her toward a shop just as Rhiannon and her father walked out. 

A big smile graced her face as she saw her little sister and how happy she was.  She had perfect timing for her gift!  By the time she had reached them they had moved onto a book shop.  Ivana moved the back to rest behind her back as she walked over to the two of them.  "Before you get ice cream," she said as she got closer, "Perhaps you should put all your books into this?"  She pulled the pretty pink bag out from behind her back to show the little girl.  Hopefully it would make up for her being late.  "I am sorry that I was late today.  I hope you will forgive me Rhiannon."  She looked up at her father apologetically.  "Sky would not go down for his nap," she told him quietly.  She was getting better at this mother thing, but every once in a while she wondered if she was actually good at it or not. 

She turned back to Rhiannon after only a moment.  "I think ice cream sounds very good right now," she told her little sister happily.   

Merlin, he was so proud of her already! She would be fine at Hogwarts, it wouldn't take her more than a day to decide who was worthy of her friendship and once she was sorted into Slytherin...here his gaze wandered to Gabriella, who was taking the opportunity to make a few small purchases of her own. Not for the first time. Dermod allowed himself to consider the possibility that his daughter might not be sorted into his own former house. It was unthinkable...but if she did end up in Ravenclaw, he would be proud of her anyway. She would never, not for a moment, realise that he was disappointed. Already he was planning for that eventuality, the comforting words he would write forming in his mind as he would reassure her that the family were thrilled for her, and knew that she would do wonderfully in that house. Not that he really suspected it would happen, but recent events meant that Dermod knew only too well that things didn't always turn out the way one expected them to.

The little girl paid for her own purchases - he suspected this was going to be a theme for the day. "Of course we can get your books next" he agreed, privately hoping that by the time it came to buying robes he would be able to find an excuse to slip off for a quiet firewhisky somewhere close. Ivana would surely have arrived by then, and even if she hadn't...well, Gabriella knew far more about clothes than he did, and even Cliona could be trusted with her niece for a few minutes, surely! "Now, i realise Flourish and Blotts is rather...common, but they do carry all the Hogwarts textbooks, so I think we should go there, don't you?" he asked, in the manner of one who automatically assumed his questions would be responded to favourably.

Instead though, Rhiannon asked something quite different. For a moment the Irishman felt irritated, but then another voice responded before he could react. Dermod smiled, his irritation forgotten at the sight of his elder daughter and pleased that she had brought a present for Rhiannon. It was something he wouldn't have thought to purchase himself (particularly given the colour) and he could tell the little girl was going to be delighted. Unfortunately, now there were two of them set on getting ice cream, so he sighed audibly and rolled his eyes skyward in a manner intended to be humorous.

"I suppose we could spare a few minutes..." he offered, though he was smiling as he said it and already scanning the street for the nearest ice cream parlour. There was one just a few shops down, and he began walking in that direction, confident that the decision would be well-received. "Don't worry. I'm glad you could make it now" he reassured Ivana as he bent to kiss her on the cheek in welcome. Even Cliona had wandered back to join them; evidently she liked the idea of stopping for ice cream too. Once they were there, he bent down so only Rhiannon could hear "Now, I expect the elves will be preparing a special dinner tonight, so no more than three different flavours...perhaps four..." he told the child with a wink, before straightening up and waiting to see what she was going to choose

Rhiannon was waiting for her father's reply when she suddenly heard a very familiar voice. The ice cream was forgotten for a moment when she turned around and saw her sister and the smile on her face grew even wider. "Vana! You're here!" The girl beamed at the older woman and admired her amazing outfit. Yes. That was exactly why she wanted Ivana to help her get new robes. "You look really beautiful." Ivana was exactly how she wanted to be as an adult. Beautiful, elegant, classy. There was no one the little girl admired as much as her older sister and her expression showed it.

"Into…" what, she'd wanted to ask but before she could actually voice her question, her eyes fell on the light pink bag Ivana pulled out from behind her back. For a brief moment Rhiannon was speechless. She just stared at her gift in awe and stretched her hand out slowly to touch it. It was perfect. Absolutely perfect. The girl looked up and her eyes met her sister's. Still absolutely quiet, Rhiannon took another step towards her sister and hugged her tightly. It was only then that she was able to speak again. "Thank you so so much, Vana. That is the most beautiful bag I have ever seen." Rhiannon let go off her again and took a closer look at her gift.

Remembering that Ivana had said something else as well, Rhiannon forced herself to look away from the bag again and smiled brightly. "Of course I forgive you. So far we've only bought potions ingredients and books but now that you're here it would be lovely if we could get the robes now." The girl put the paper bag that contained her books in the pink one and hung it over the shoulder. "How do I look?" This was definitely the best day ever.

And now she was even getting ice cream!

Rhiannon took her father's hand as well as Ivana's and had to force herself not to bounce while they were walking towards the ice cream parlour. Aunt Clia was right behind them and the girl looked over her shoulder to flash her aunt a bright smile. All her favourite people were at the same place and the witch was relieved that Gabriella was gone for the moment. It just felt more… right to be here just with her family. They reached the ice cream parlour and the brunette nodded when her father told her only to get three or four flavours. She scanned the display and decided rather quickly which ones she wanted. "Can I get raspberry, strawberry and honey, please?" She waited patiently until the other had theirs as well before she started eating it.

Her baby was going to school. Cliona felt sad...but incredibly proud at the same time. She couldn't quite remember how they'd got to Diagon Alley but nearly everyone was there; sheDermod and her little friend, all were there to make sure Rhiannon had everything she needed before heading off to Hogwa, rts alone. That was frightening, Cliona remembered how terrified she'd been sixty years earlier before she went to school for the first time, but things were different now. Rhiannon had been off the estate several times, she knew how to buy things in shops herself, she'd talked to people who weren't members of her family, and she was going to travel on the Hogwarts express. All these were things that meant she would find it much easier to settle in at school and even make some friends.

Belatedly, Cliona realised she'd been staring at an antique hatstand for seven and a half minutes, and the family were nowhere to be seen. She was about to turn when she heard her name and jumped in surprise, but in the same moment realised she recognised the voice. Because it wasn't Irish, it would have to be...and she had a questioning smile on her face as she greeted Ivana, her new niece. Oh! She would be wondering where Dermod and the others were! Pleased with herself for this line of reasoning, she pointed towards the last shop they had entered and was even more proud to discover they were still in there. Thinking of blue rabbits meant she didn't notice immediately that everyone else had headed off, so she was trailing behind and discovered with some surprise that they'd arrived at an ice cream parlour.

Well...maybe not so surprising, given that ice cream was one of Rhiannon's favourite foods. Come to think of it, that chocolate cake seemed an awfully long time ago - or maybe apparating had made her hungry. She licked her lips and stared through the window, watching a family who were all eating huge ice-cream sundaes. They had bright red cherries on the top that reminded Cliona of tomatoes, which weren't very tasty in ice cream at all. Really, when people said they liked ice cream, they really meant they liked some flavours of ice cream. There were very few people who liked squid or toast or cabbage flavoured ice cream.

Belatedly she realised that Dermod was speaking to her, asking her if she wanted him to order for her. The old witch frowned thoughfully. She didn't really want to speak to anyone who wasn't family today, she decided...but she did want to choose her own lunch. "I'll have stilton and apple flavours please" she said, following her nieces over to the table once she had the tasty treat in her possession. She took a taste and smiled comfortably. "Robes next..." she mumbled in between mouthfuls.