Dinner (PG)

Sam was enjoying a quite evening, reading, as his sister was taking a nap and his parents had gone out. He looked at the time and realized it was close to dinner time he summoned one of the house elves, "Get everything ready for me to prepare a salad and some chicken and wake my sister and ask if she'd like to join me. Be sure to inform her that Mother and Father are out."
"Right away sir," the semi-surprised elf said.
Sam finished the chapter he was reading and set out for the kitchen. He was just beginning to wash the vegetables when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs. "Come to join me after all, Sister." he called.

Kat was enjoying a quiet afternoon napping in her room. Her parents were home and she did not feel like being around them. She was startled awake by one of the elves letting her know that Sam was making dinner and that the parents were out. She sat up and debated about joining her older brother, after all this could be a trick by her parents. Cautiously she headed downstairs.
"Samuel, what are you up to? Where are mother and father?" She looked around nervously but headed over to help him finished washing the vegetables.

Sam smiled a bit at Kat's confusion. "I'm making a salad and cooking some chicken for dinner. Mother and Father went out, didn't really say where. Have a good nap?" He asked grabbing the clean vegetables and a knife to begin chopping them as his sister finished washing them. "When you finish that would you mind grabbing a pan and some water for the chicken?" he asked unsure as to how she'd respond.

Kat noticed Sam's smiled but still felt a bit nervous. "Since when do you actually cook?" Kat felt bad after she said it but it was true normally the elves did the cooking. "My nap was very nice. How did you know I was sleeping?" She had stormed off to her room after her father made a comment about muggles and had locked herself away. She watched as he started cutting up the vegetables. She handed him the rest of the clean ones and then grabbed the pan and water as he requested. "Samuel this had better not be a trick to get me to lower my guard. I swear if it is..." She trailed off. She didn't want to believe that her brother would do that to her but she knew her father would.

"Since I learned how to for the last girl, and found I very much enjoy it." He teased. "I heard Father earlier and know you tend to be asleep if you spend a lot of time in your room. Thank you," he said when Kat did as he had asked. "Would you mind finishing this while I start the chicken?" He ignored Kat's comment, he knew what she had meant by it but he was not their father, and wouldn't pull the type of stunt that he was being accused of.

Kat rolled her eyes. "You and your girls. So got a new one yet?" She smiled at him. He seemed to be genuine. "I don't always sleep. I tend to write poetry and read as well." She grabbed the knife Samuel was using and began to chop the vegetables for the salad. There was an awkward silence that she couldn't stand. "Sam, I'm sorry I know you aren't like him. I just don't trust that man but that doesn't mean I should treat you the same." She never looked at him while speaking, but concentrated on her job so she wouldn't cut her finger with the knife.

"Not yet, but I'm sure I will in time. I saw you the other day in Diagon Alley, with the Black boy, Sirius I believe. You seemed quite preoccupied so I decided not to say hello." Sam teased. "I know you don't only just sleep, but you do have a tendency to." He handed Kat the knife and turned to the spice cabinet and grabbed some salt, pepper and a few other seasonings. "I know what you were thinking and if I thought you really meant something by it I would have said something, its fine." He glanced at her and saw she wasn't looking so he turned his attention to the chicken and began trimming the fat.

Kat laughed at her brother's casualness about his dating life. She stopped instantly and turned red when he mentioned Sirius. "Yes I was with Sirius. I didn't see you there brother otherwise I might have been a little better behaved." She muttered the second part knowing Sam would still hear her. "The only reason I sleep so much is because I get bored. I don't feel like being corrected by father so I find it easier to hide." She watched him start working on the chicken and felt the need to talk to him. "Samuel, I really am sorry for accusing you. You are my brother and I should trust you completely."

"Don't behave on account of me, save that for father. Not that I want to see you making out with your most recent fling." Sam teased. "I know how father is Kat, no need to explain." he frowned a bit at the thought of it. "I've already forgiven you, stop apologizing. And a little sibling distrust is only natural." He pointed out. He'd finished trimming the fat and grabbed a plate to help him coat the chicken. "I know its none of my business, but why don't you just leave, I'm sure that mudblood friend of yours has a room at her place." He said without thinking, it wasn't as if he and Joclynn got along and he wasn't thinking about the fact that he was talking about his sister's best friend.

"It's not a fling this time. He is actually my boyfriend." Kat retorted. She knew her brother was messing with her because his reputation wasn't any better but it still bugged her. She noticed his frown when father was mentioned but didn't say anything. "I feel bad for judging you so quickly, that's all." She shrugged and set aside the vegetables. She headed toward the sink and ended up dropping the knife in it and turning on her brother. "Don't call her a mudblood! She has a name!" She felt her temper rise.

"Oh, something more serious. Where are the two of you registered?" He had to laugh at his own joke. He didn't say anymore on Kat's semi-distrust of him and just continued seasoning the chicken and turned on the stove top and added some water to the pan so it didn't disagree with the dry heat. Sam turned when he heard metal hit metal and found himself facing his sister, "I'm sorry, Joclynn. Doesn't she have room for you?" He instinctively began to reach for his wand, he could hear it in her voice that Kat's temper was rising.

"Jerk." Kat laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'm actually going to try to make this one work out. I know it's a miracle that I'm trying but hey one of us has to have a decent relationship for once." She watched him turn and notice his hand reach toward his wand. She instinctively reached toward her own. "I could have stayed with her many times. Do you want to know why I haven't?" She tightened her grip on her wand. "It's because of this family. Why would I want to bring father to her house? Why would I put my best friend and her sisters and mother at risk because they aren't pureblood?" She knew that she needed to calm down, but wasn't sure how she was going to.

Samuel chuckled a bit at Kat's jab back at him. Samuel took his hand away from his wand as Kat's grip tightened on her own. "Hey, instinct," he said putting his hands up to show her he was unarmed. "I know exactly what father would do to them if given the chance, I'm sorry to say but my actions wouldn't be much different if it weren't for you. And you can't honestly tell me that Joclynn's family can't protect themselves." He meant no disrespect by his statement but he wanted to show Kat that she wasn't having as much respect for her friend's family as he thought she might think she does, but he wasn't sure Kat would see it that way.

She watched him let go of his wand and raise his hands up but she kept her grip on hers. "It doesn't matter if they can defend themselves. I don't want any harm to come to any of them." She knew what he was telling the truth but she had her own logically reasoning going. "If I am there father will come and I don't want him anywhere near the people I care about. I am not bring that upon them." She slackened her grip on her wand but kept her hand on it, just in case.

Sam lowered his hands when he realized that Kat wasn't going to back down for the moment. "It does matter that they can defend themselves, I'm sure two witches and a wizard like the Auroras can take father. I understand protecting those you care about, but they aren't necessarily your battles to fight. Now would you please relinquish the grip on your wand, my reaction was instinct, just as I'm sure yours is but the conversation has calmed and I'm done." Sam had never had any intention to harm Kat, but he wasn't sure about Kat's intentions.

Kat took a deep calming breath and slowly let go of her wand. Samuel was right, it was instinct to reach for it, especially at home with her father and her fighting all of the time. She stood there silently for a moment before heading over to her brother. She reached around him and turned down the heat on the chicken. "Don't want it to burn." She then looked her brother in the eyes and smiled slightly, showing him she was over their argument. Sam looked out for her when they were alone and she didn't want anymore tension between them than normal.

Sam took a breath when Kat let go of her wand. "No I wasn't really going for blackened chicken," he joked, when she turned down the stove, returning her smile. He was glad the tension had passed but wasn't really sure how to proceed. He turned the chicken in the pan over and began cleaning up the trimmings. "Want to grab plates, bowls and silverware, this won't be too much longer?" he asked as he began looking in the fridge and cabinets for salad dressings and anything else they may want.

Kat groaned as he asked her to grab everything. "What am I a house-elf?" She then begrudgingly walked toward the cupboard and began to grab everything. "So what ever happen between you and ummm, whats her name, anyways?" Kat decided to find out what had been going on in her brother's life lately because she really didn't know anymore.

“You’re no house-elf but they’re obviously not the ones preparing dinner and its not like I’m having you do all the work.” He pointed out. “I forgot a birthday or anniversary or something, tuned out after the words ‘its over’ were said. So how long have you and the Black boy been together?” He knew his not saying the name could upset Kat again but he still couldn’t help himself he seemed to like things between them being more dysfunctional.

"Whatever." She stuck her tongue out and rolled her eyes as she finished grabbing the dishes. She laughed at her brother. "Way to go bro. You know walking away would have been more interesting than just tuning out; she might have actually fought you." She took a deep breath when Samuel called Sirius by his last name. "Sirius and I have been together for a couple of weeks." She made sure to emphasize his name. "You do know it is nicer to call people by their first names right. If not I'm sure I can teach you how to do so."

“It’s over means it’s over, Sis, what’s the point in fighting? I’m glad for you,” he commented on their relationship. “I’ve heard that,” he teased, “but I’m not sure I believe it, I’ve even called the majority of my friends by their last names for years. I believe it has more to do with inclination.” He checked the chicken and since it wasn’t done he began setting the table with the dishes that Kat had gotten down and grabbed serving utensils for the salad.

"It doesn't mean its over it means she wants you to pay her attention so she can make you work to get her back. No one in their right mind would turn down a Miller." Kat smirked at her brother. Both of them tended to date lots of people and most of them would take them back if they wanted them. "You actually have friends? I thought they were all servants!" She pretended to be in shock.

“If that’s what she wanted she should have just said so. Why don’t women ever say what they mean?” He rolled his eyes at his sister as he continued setting the table. “Of course I have friends,” he knew his sister was playing but he still felt a need to defend himself a bit, but he tried to use a playful tone but wasn’t sure he was pulling it off.

"She didn't say so because she wanted you to fight for her. She wanted to know you really cared." She shrugged. "And you know I'm right. How many girls have tried to get you back once it was over?" She may have a rep for dating tons of guys but her brother beat her by a lot. "I know you have friends Sam. I was joking, lighten up." She rolled her eyes and grabbed the salad and brought it to the table.

Sam glared at Kat, “That doesn’t answer my question, why don’t women ever just say what they mean?” he stated again, ignoring her question. The chicken was done so he grabbed a serving dish for it and placed it on the table. “Do we have everything we need?” he asked taking a look so they could avoid having to get up for anything while they were eating.