The Most Unexpected Thing

Jack stared at the letter.

She had just approached the barrier to Diagon Alley, one hand holding a bagel to her mouth as she absentmindedly gnawed on it, the other looking through letters she had picked up. Then she came across one from... her dad. She stopped in her tracks, standing right before the brick barrier and stared. Her hand fell to her side and the half bagel hung from one finger as she stared. She carefully opened the letter and read:

Dear Jaquellene,

No doubt you are wondering why you are so suddenly hearing from me. I wouldn't doubt you are disappointed to hear from me, or any one of the family. I would go through the process of asking all of the niceties, but my mind is turbulent. Your mother would disapprove of this letter but, things have changed in this house, Jack. Rae is starting to listen to me. And Riley has come home. That is why I am writing to you.

Do you remember when we took a month long vacation when you were thirteen over the summer? Well, apparently your brother got into mischief. He recently began dating that girl he had a fling with from back then, and it turns out... Well, that summer the poor girl was impregnated. And by our Riley. He was naturally really upset until he met the girl. He is intent on marrying Matilda now. Things are tough right now. Rae refuses to take the child in, and Riley and Matilda are very poor right now.

This sounds terrible of me. But do you think you could take the girl for the summer? Her name is Sunny. There's a picture enclosed. Please respond.

Love,

Your father.

Jack stared. He had to be kidding. She looked at the picture and saw the family resemblance. She almost looked like Jack when Jack was young.

Her family was insane.

"Who's the baby clown?" Nemo inquired as he joined Jack at her side, a bottle of Jack Daniel's gripped loosely in his right fist. "Not yours, I hope," He added with a hearty chuckle before taking a swig of the alcohol that he'd acquired during the wait that had followed his companion's decision to retrieve her mail. 'Twas the only benefit of accompanying her on such trips. Though he did not particularly mind stumbling aimlessly along while Jack ran errands. It gave him a purpose on the Ministry's slower days.

And with a practiced swipe, Nemo stole from Jack the bagel that she had left to dangle at her side and hastily attacked the half-a-pastry. With a delighted hum he presented his wand and chewed happily away, "Need me to do it?" He offered with a lethargic gesture of his bottle, which he swung in the direction of the barrier that remained before them.

Jack had forgotten Poe in her shock, which wasn't a surprise. When Jack ran her errands, she focused. Poe followed almost like a child in a store, content only because he had been allowed one (and one only) toy. It was nice, however, because she could send him to fetch food while she bickered with her employees or made difficult visits down Knockturn. And having an Auror constantly at your side made business run a lot smoother.

And, sure, he made her laugh, too.

Now, however, no jokes could stir her. She stared with undiminished shock and his words barely registered. Finally, one piece of information got to her. 'Who's the baby clown?' She swung the photo up. "Looks like our new roommate." She stared back and raised her other hand to bite from her bagel, not realizing it was gone until her finger rammed into her tooth. She looked around and spotted the smallest of remains of the bagel on her companion's upper lip. "Oh, really?!"

“Well,” Nemo began with a smug smile after a brief moment of contemplation, “Let’s hope Baby Clown” – yes, the title would most certainly stick – “has a thing for vodka, weed, rock ballads, and vicious…” He paused with a shiver as he feigned a fearful recollection. “…foot rests that devour socks. I haven’t seen my sock monkey hat in a weak, you know. I think the thing’s mixed up his clothing articles. It probably won’t be long until he’s running around with my boxers.”

Nemo took a long drink from his beverage before leaning further over Jack’s shoulder to examine more closely the photograph she held. “She looks kinda like you. A lot like you, actually. How you related? You said you had a brother?” He asked, thus making his curiosity painfully apparent. He was intrigued, to put it mildly, for it was a privilege to be permitted so much as a glance at those responsible for the mighty Jack Dyllan, due to said woman’s stubborn and relatively bitter nature. “We’re really gonna screw this kid up,” He added with a regretful nod of his head, which hastily became one of approval with a flick of his eyebrows and a curt "hm."

"Oh, really?!"

Nemo shrugged his shoulders and drew a step backward in his state of confusion, oblivious to the evidence that he had mistakenly left behind, “What?!” He retorted in a similar tone to Jack’s.

Jack shook her head, thinking to herself that her father was absolutely crazy to think that bringing a little girl into Jack's life made sense. When would Jack watch her when she went to work- then again, she was Head of her Department. But the girl was not of magical blood! Jack ran a hand through her hair, leaving it tangled atop her head as she tried to figure this out.

Her family had disowned her. Sure, her father had given her a hug, but there had been pure hatred in her mother and brother's eyes when she showed up on their doorstep with a werewolf. They would never had discharged her with a little girl in such a manner. Jack could not deny her brother anything; she had to convince him against thinking it a good idea at all.

She looked over at Poe as he feigned having never done anything wrong, and that's when she got an idea. If they had thought she was insane when she brought home a werewolf, what would they say if she arrived with a drunken, suicidal, drug-addicted Seer that happened to be her roommate.

She forgot about the bagel and did not explain her accusation. Instead, she looked at him, the evidence of her brilliant idea written on her face as she said, "Hey, would you like to go on a quick adventure?"

That expression! It was horrifically devious! Thus, Nemo believed himself to be have acted in an exceptionally wise manner when he approached with caution the proposal that the madwoman had made, "Are you gonna... hurt me... or something?" Nemo inquired as he slowly began to retreat behind his bent arms, which he held aloft with the intention of using them as a shield. "The 'adventure of the knuckle sandwich' or something?" He muttered as he attempted to solve the mystery of his roommate's present thought process.

"Need I remind you that I am an auror? People would know if I went missing..." He continued while peeking over his right hand - from which he stole a quick and apparently desperate swig of alcohol - with one of his eyes to watch Jack closely.

Jack realized that her expression was a little... intense. Maybe a bit severe. Perhaps Poe had spoken out of turn when he claimed there had not been anything evil inside her. She cracked a small smile, as though trying to assure Poe she had just gotten a little ahead of herself. He would see why her family was such a weird topic for her when he met them. There was no one he could condemn her for looking so strange once he heard the screeching that was her obnoxious mother.

"Sorry," she said. "This is driving me a little- Well, come on! Are you going to say no to an adventure? I'll even apparate us there." She held out her arm for him. "I want you to meet my mum and dad."

Surely, figurative alarm bells would have begun to ring in harmony with the promise of an 'adventure' with Jack, hadn't Nemo sold them for marijuana and alcohol several years prior. As a result, Nemo was not interrupted by such senses whilst he lowered his arms to his sides and grinned wildly in agreement, "You fcker," He teasingly responded to the suggestion that it were even a possibility that he turn down such an opportunity.

"And I'm not following here. Other than for my charms and my good looks, why show me off to the 'rents? Did we decide to get married while I wasn't looking? And who's the kid?" Nemo asked when it dawned on him that he had not yet received an answer to a single of his previous inquisitions. He could not deny, however, the excitement he felt at the thought of discovering what it was about her family that she so desired to shoo from conversations - not to mention the opportunity to wreak havoc so early on in the day.

Nemo looped his arm with Jack's at the mention of apparition as he took another steady drink from his bottle. "Wait - wait -wait -wait - I want another drink before we leave," He added at such a speed as to stumble over his words as he spoke. "I'm almost finished with it," He complained, ever a polite and convenient young man.

Jack rolled her eyes as he argued his case and she responded, "See , I hadn't considered anything of your apparent looks or charms. I was counting on your drunken nature and colorful language." She smirked and said, "Come on, it's the perfect place for chaos. Besides, I have to go and you are too drunk to get yourself anywhere properly." She gave him a triumphant look.

He linked his arm with hers, which she counted as total submission to the idea. She allowed him to take a drink and ran through the questions he had asked. she would have to ignore the first- what use would it do to tell him she had issues with her family and it was always nice to have a witness? That would unfold to him in time. But she figured she had better answer about the girl.

"Her name is Sunny and, apparently, she is my niece. And, like I said, a potential roommate." To herself, she added, "But we'll see if we can change that." And without a warning, she turned on the spot and whisked Poe off with her to her childhood home.