When the Rain Comes
by: Lady Potter

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or anything that has to do with Harry Potter or any other copyrighted item that may appear in this fiction, so please don't sue this lowly High School Senior.

A/N: I'm defiantly not following the guide lines from the 5th book onward because, how I loved the fifth book, it depressed me. And personally, if you have a problem, you can take your flame and use it to light my fireplace. Now, on with the fic. Only positive criticism please! Thankies!

Chapter 1: In the Beginning, where every fic should start.

The rain lashed outside a warm home in Ireland. A girl sat at her bedroom window watching as the clear droplets coursed down the glass. On the floor above, her mother was crying. Her grandfather had died. So naturally everyone in the Halifax household was upset.

A knock resonated from the solid oak door and it creaked open. The girl turned and stared at the young man who had just opened the door.

"Gwen, could ya come downstairs for a moment please?" asked the young man in a very thick Irish accent. "Mother would like to see you."

The girl stood from her chair and moved toward the door and walked down the stone steps into the arched entrance and across in the the drawing room. A woman in her late thirties with long deep red hair sat in an easy chair with a handkerchief in her hand. Her eyes were very red from hours of crying.

When Gwen entered the room, the woman's face smiled a little.

"Gwen, my baby, come here please," beckoned the mother with open arms.

Gwen hugged her mother before sitting across from her.

"Your father is going away for a little while. He will return soon, he must make a trip to the office in London. He asked me to tell you. He had to leave right away." said the mother in an equally thick accent as the young man's.

"I understand mother. Would you like Grady and I to make dinner?" asked Gwen.

The mother nodded and motioned for her to leave her. Gwen stood up and walked back through the drawing room, closing the door behind her. Gradson, or Grady was waiting in the hallway. He was 16 years old, tall and lean. A carbon copy of their mother. Deep red hair, only short and spiked. Glass green eyes and fair skinned. Gwen however, was the same as her father. Short and thin, red-brown hair, sparkling deep green eyes, and freckled skin that wasn't as fair as her mother and brother's.

"Grady, mum wants us to make dinner tonight. And I am supposing that she already told you about dad?" said Gwen taking another turn into the vast kitchen and began pulling out pans and cookbooks.

"Yeah, poor mum. Still not over grandpa. I wonder when this rain is going to let up. Next thing we know the moores are gonna be flooded!" said Grady looking over at his 11 year old sister who was currently flipping through a cookbook.

"What should we have tonight Grady?"

"I dunno, what's in the fridge?"

"Guess it's a good idea to look there before I get started eh?" laughed Gwen as she hopped down off of the chair.

Gwen peered in the fridge and sighed.

"Grady..."

"Lemme get the keys."

Gwen poked her head around the side of the fridge and smiled at him.

"Well, I'll just bring the cookbook with me then. I don't know what it is that I want to make. Do you remember where dad put the muggle money?" asked

Gwen.

"I think so, it should be in his study in a box," said Grady walking up the stone steps to the second level of the house.

Gwen put on her shoes and coat and waited by the front door. She heard Grady's keys clinking as he walked back down the steps with the money.

Gwen loved going to the muggle grocery store. She was dumping things in the cart as she was reading the ingredients out of the cookbook.

"Gwen, it's just me, you, and mum. It looks like you're making food for an army!" cried Grady as Gwen read the last item.

"I don't want to have to make food tomorrow," said Gwen shrugging as she went into the check out line.

The rain let up that evening, shortly after dinner. Gwen smiled at her mother as she seemed to be doing better. Once Grady had retreated to his room for the evening, Gwen helped her mother clear the table and wash the dishes.

"Mum, will you tell me about Hogwarts?" asked Gwen as she dried the dishes off.

"Of course dear, but your letter to go should be arriving any day now, so you'll get to see it for yourself. But I suppose."

Gwen listened as her mother discribed the castle and the teachers.

"I was a regular book worm. Your father was the master joker. Two opposites, nobody thought we would wind up together."

The next morning the sun was out again, and the birds were singing. Gwen trodded down to dinner and saw Grady and her mother already eating. She sat and helped herself to a plate of eggs, bacon and a cup of tea.

"I do hope those moors dry out. I hate practicing Quidditch in the mud," said Grady.

"Oh, trust me Grady, if you wanted those moores dried, you'd do it yourself." said their mother with out looking up from the paper. "Gwen, what are you doing today?"

"I dunno mum. I guess I could work on the counted cross-stitch some more in the drawing room."

"That sonds like a good idea, I think I'll join you."

"I'm going outside!" exclaimed Grady as he rushed out the door.

After breakfast Gwen and her mother took over the drawing room. Gwen especially enjoyed the drawing room, as it had her family history in almost all of the books in the room. However, she was only permitted to look at certain ones. The ones she wasn't, were shut off to her by a spell. And her mother would say, "In a few years dear, you may look in those books."

Early that afternoon the post arrived.

"Gwen!"

Gwen walked in the kitchen and took the letter from her mother.

"Gwendolyn Ingrid Halifax
#15 on the Outer Moors
Southern Ireland"

Her acceptance letter. She would be going to school with her brother. Her mother was just positively bursting with joy.

"Wait until your father hears!" she cried as she bustled about making tea and biscuits for some of her co-workers that were coming over for tea.

Gwen's father returned home a couple of days later. He was average height, a tad on the short side however.

"Dad! I'm going! I'm going!" yelled Gwen as she jumped into her father's arms.

"Thats great sweetie! MARGARET! I'M BACK!"

Gwen's mother appeared out of the kitchen and hugged him.

"Oh Roderick, I'm so glad you're back! Did Gwen tell you she got accepted?"

"Yes, and it's wonderful news. We'll have to take you to London my dear. I've got to take Grady to get new robes. The boy is like a weed, buy him clothes and he out grows them in a week. Honestly, I don't know where he gets it."

With the weeks that past, Gwen counted down the days until she got to go to London for the first time ever in her life. And when the day arrived, she was just bursting with excitement.

"Alright children, a hand full of floo-power and off we go," said Roderick.

Diagon Alley was the busiest place Gwen had ever seen in her life. Shops lined the streets with peddlers outside.

"C'mon dear, we've not all day." said Roderick ushering her into Madame Malkin's to have her measured.

"Gradson Halifax, back so soon?" asked Madam Malkin. "And is this little Gwen?"

As Gwen checked off her list she became more and more excited as it would soon be time to get her last thing. Her wand. Grady went on ahead home and Roderick went in with her to Ollivanders.

"Miss Halifax, good to see you at last! Let's get started shall we?" said Mr. Ollivander excitedly. "Yes yes, lets begin with this. Ash, 6/2 inches, dragon heart string. Stick out your wand hand and give it a wave."

Gwen took it in her left hand and waved it. Across the room, the windows blew out. With a flick of his wand, Mr. Ollivander fixed the window and handed her another.

"7 1/4, Yew, unicorn hair."

"8 inches, holly, phoenix feather."

10 inches, willow, unicorn hair."

Gwen flicked it and silver stars and blue dotted sparkes emitted.

"Very good! This seems to be the one. Willow, very uncommon indeed. But uncommon things, to uncommon talents as I say. 7 galleons please."

Gwen left with her father and was exhausted. In two weeks she would be leaving for Hogwarts. And she couldn't have been more exciting.

TBC

A/E/N (author's ending note):

This is taking place after Harry is out of school, but he still plays a part. And I will be bringing in my other Harry Potter fic character in only for like a chapter later on. There will be lots of brothers/sisters/cousins of original characters. And a couple other special things! CYA!

*~Lady Potter