While not actually related to any currently played characters, with the exception of Gaia Barnes, Ben Dunstan treats the Barnes family as if it was his own--or, to be truthful, better than his own.
The Barnes Family[]
Jeanie Lisa Barnes[]
The matriarch of the family, Jeanie is a very warm, very homely person who attends church and arranges bake sales. She's fast approaching seventy and her health is deteoriating, however she refuses to acknowledge this. Terribly fierce, she looks out for everybody in the family and accepted Ben into the fold. She is oft compared to a mother lion, and is extremely protective of each member of her "pride". Ben is especially fond of Jeanie, and thinks that his mother would like her as well, which is something that greatly impacts how he views others.
Ian Abraham Barnes[]
Ian Barnes has been deceased since shortly after Gaia was born, over forty years of smoking taking its toll and leaving Ian with lung cancer which progressed rapidly. He is a fondly remembered figure, though all that Ben can remember of the man was grey hair, yellow teeth and the pipe he always used to smoke.
Andrew Jamie Barnes[]
Andrew is perhaps the only member of the Barnes family which Ben has a real, genuine friendship with. They met when they were children and Andrew was practically the first friend that Ben made. Despite the wishes of Ben's parents, his father in particular, Andrew and Ben remained friends, with Stella tagging along. During Ben's time at Hogwarts the two drifted apart but after the war they once more became good friends. Though they do not see each other all that often anymore, both having their own personal lives, jobs and families to attend to, they make a point to catch up at least once a fortnight, to eat, attempt to play football and chat.
Stella Melanie Barnes[]
One of the most personal relationships Ben has with the Barnes family, he and Stella were for a short time of the impression they would marry one another. However, this was quickly chased away as they both began to realise that while a relationship had been fine and dandy the idea of actually having to do something quite so serious with the other as agree to marriage was beyond what they were prepared.
Friends from a young age, Ben and Stella always got on extremely well and they complimented one another. Remaining friends throughout their lives, they have more frequent contact these days than Ben and Andrew, but this is largely because they live together. During the time they were dating one another, Stella fell pregnant and when Ben discovered the two sat down and talked, coming to an agreement that Stella would stay nearby and raise the child. This agreement was made when Stella was seriously seeing another man, Cain Patrick, who Ben thought she would marry. When the relationship fell through, for reasons he isn't sure of, Stella simply did not move out and kept living with him.
The two have since worked together raising their daughter, living as friends who just happened to have a child together. Ben's work with the Regulators has kept him rather content and Stella has worked on odd jobs over the years, trying to find something that suits her. She's an extremely serious person, or appears it, and shy beyond belief. She doesn't tend to do well with new people and as such often appears cool upon first glance. Despite this, she is an excellent mother and over the years has dated on and off with a number of men. As of two and a half years ago, she has been in a serious relationship with Colin McKevitt and they are currently discussing moving in together. About a month ago, Colin proposed to Stella and she accepted; they've already shared this information with Ben and Stella is currently living with Colin. Gaia remains in Ben's home in Helford.
PB: Sara Bareilles
Carolyn Stephanie Healey[]
The youngest child, Carolyn was the first to marry. A pretty, vivacious and rather intentionally argumentative character, Caro married Muggle politician, Jack Fields. When Fields died in a car crash, Caro was granted custody of his two children, Frederick (more commonly known as Rick) and Paula. Two years later, she met and married Stefan Healey, an aspiring professional footballer, bored accountant and blooming alcoholic.
Despite dubious decisions in her personal life, Caro is a very likeable, very personable woman and a friend of Ben's.
Gaia Artemis Michelle Barnes[]
Gaia Artemis Michelle Barnes. A name that Stella and Ben argued over for practically months, one protesting the name Gaia (and Artemis was something Stella absolutely refused to entertain as a Christian name) and the other mortified at calling a child something as mundane as Michelle. Born on the fifteenth of September, Gaia was a happy child, bubbly and loud in both her laughs and her cries.
She has grown up to be a happy child, adventurous and somehow managing to get the correct balance of cheek and humour when she talks to her parents or at least in her own eyes this is so. She attends a local Muggle primary school, as her mother insists on this and also insists it be one she has never taught at. Stella has sworn never to teach there either. She excels at maths and most logical subjects and is not so good at things such as English, P.E. and art. She has inherited her father's fondness for things that blow up.
PB: Abigail Breslin