Quote from The Gestalt Prince on April 13, 2024, 12:39 am

Chapter 1: The Kids on Spinner's End

Miles I

Monday, 9 Jul 1991

"... and all you'll have to do is sign here," the stranger on the other side of the desk said.

Miles fidgeted in his seat as the old man sitting beside him took the pen and shakily signed words on the paper.

"Very good," the stranger said. "I'll have this notarized within the week."

"Does this mean he has to go back to his mother?" the old man asked in a shaky voice.

Miles tensed up at the question, and his eyes started welling up as his chest tightened.

"Certainly not, Mr. Glenn," the stranger answered. "He will be permitted to live with you from this day forward."

Miles felt the pressure building within his chest disappear, and he let out a quiet sigh.

"And you're sure the restraining orders were notarized?"

"I can double-check and call you to confirm," the stranger said as he looked over the paper. "May we confirm some information before you leave?"

"I just wrote it down in front of you," the old man said.

"I have a bad habit of double-checking."

"Ehm... yes, alright, then."

"Your full name is Thomas Glenn?"

"Correct."

"Born on the 25th of December 1917?"

"I'm getting rather old, aren't I?" the old man asked with a laugh.

"Sir?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And your full address is Number 1 Spinner's End, Cokeworth, West Midlands?"

"Correct."

"And your place of business is... Cokey's?"

"My pub. Everyone calls me Cokey, so I named it after that."

The stranger made a note on the paper. "And these numbers listed are recent?"

"Never changed," Cokey answered.

The stranger nodded. "In that case, you and Miles are free to go."

Miles slid out of the chair and followed Cokey, who hobbled beside him with the smallest and quickest steps Miles had seen from a person. Leaving the office, they walked down the corridor and out of the building, during which Cokey bid the woman at the counter a good afternoon.

"Now then, mate," Cokey said, "We're off to Cokeworth."

Miles looked up to meet Cokey's mismatched eyes (one pale blue, the other blind white). He opened his mouth to speak but found himself unable.

"I've already packed your things," Cokey continued as they approached the small car belonging to one of Cokey's friends. "And I think I'll have to buy you some new clothes once you've settled in."

"Is-" Miles felt his voice cut off.

"What is it, mate?"

"Is Cokeworth... different?"

"Not much different to Birmingham," Cokey answered. "And with your accent, you'll fit right in. Just don't call us Brummies; we hate that."

"What're you called, then?"

"Yam-yams."

Miles felt a grin spread across his face.

"Yes," Cokey laughed, "like the food. Speaking of which, how about we stop by my pub for some fittles? You look like you need it."

"... fittles?"

"Snap."

"Oh... okay." Miles got in the back seat of the car and put the seatbelt on.

Cokey sat down beside him. "Alright, Lyle?"

"Took you long enough," Lyle answered. "You strapped in?"

Cokey put his seatbelt on. "I am now."

Lyle turned the key, and the car purred to life. "You're lucky I had the day off, y'know."

"Don't get a cob on. I'm sure Tesco can survive without you for one day."

Miles listened as the two adults talked at length about something he wasn't paying attention to; he was too focused on watching the buildings pass by and eventually disappear from sight. His eyes were locked on the rail beside the road, the one connecting Birmingham to the Black Country.

---

Lily I

Tuesday, 10 July 1991

"-and birds, therefore," Alice was explaining to the others as they were leaving the Dudley Zoo, "as members of the clade Theropoda, are dinosaurs."

"... do you think T. rex tastes like chicken?" Dudley asked.

"We could steal a Time-Turner and find out," Harry joked.

"That," Severus replied sternly as his eyes darted around at the Muggles present (who didn't seem interested whatsoever), "is illegal, not to mention the amount of damage you would cause."

Lily held back a smile at Severus's disapproval of time travel, as though he was one to talk.

"Maybe it tastes like dragon?" Marley asked. "Daddy, what does dragon taste like?"

Severus blanched, his concern growing. "Well," he answered, pretending to sound like he was playing along with his very normal daughter's rampant imagination, "that depends on whether the specimen is farm-raised or wild."

Marley giggled as she turned to Petunia, whose hand she was gripping furiously. "Aunt Tuney, for your next birthday, we should have dragon hot wings!"

"I-" Petunia's eyes widened, matching Severus's expression. "Well, I don't think it would be very good for my digestion."

"I don't think they get that small," Neville added. "Unless it's a baby."

The excitement on Marley's face shifted drastically, and her smile turned into a deep frown as her brow furrowed. Her lips started quivering at the rate that her eyes watered.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" Lily asked as they all stopped. She knelt and started rubbing Marley's shoulders.

"... I don't wanna eat a baby dragon!" Marley whined out before breaking into sobs.

"We're just joking," Lily said in a hushed tone, kissing her on the forehead. "No one's eating baby dragons. Alright?"

Marley nodded as a few more sobs escaped her mouth.

"How about we stop by the park?" Peter suggested as they all started walking again.

"You're not busy?" Lily asked.

"Not today, no."

"Pet-Pet," Petunia chided, "Enid's coming over soon."

"O-oh, right," Peter chuckled. "Sorry, right, I can't go to the park."

"How about I take the children, then?" Lily offered. "We can drop Dudley off once we're all ready to go home."

"I have to keep an eye on my... project," Severus said, which was code for 'potion'. "It's in the temperamental phase."

"... Sev..."

"I can prepare dinner as well," Severus offered.

"... fine," Lily capitulated. "You owe me."

"I promise, I'll make it up to you."

"You better."

"Do you need a lift?" Petunia asked Severus in a stiff tone. "If you're not going to the park, Lily ought to take the car."

"... alright," Severus replied in an equally stiff tone. He dug into his pocket and handed Lily the car keys.

"We'll be home before sundown," Lily said, kissing Severus on the cheek. She leaned in and whispered into his ear, "You'll survive one car ride."

Severus grumbled and kissed her back. "Love you too," he muttered as he walked off with the Pettigrews.

Lily and the children arrived at the car, and Lily opened the backseat. "Dudley, would you like to sit in the middle or back row?"

"Harry and I are in the back," Neville said.

"Alright." Dudley climbed in first and was soon followed by Harry and Neville respectively. Marley and Alice went in next, allowing for Lily to shut the door and get behind the wheel.

The drive to the park didn't take very long (thank God, it was a Tuesday), and Lily had to jump out of the way as the children flew out of the car and hurried to the playground. Lily went over to one of the park benches and sat down, thinking about what sort of 'favor' Severus owed her tonight; then again, she supposed she could postpone until she bought some fresh strawberries and cream...

Lily was pulled out of her thoughts as she saw an old man hobble quickly to the playground, holding the hand of a small boy, who in turn was holding a book in his other hand. She recognized the old man as Cokey, the owner of the pub next to the Railview, but she didn't recognize the boy at all; she didn't even know if Cokey had family. The sight of them filled her with concern, prompting her to stand up and approach them as they made their way to a different park bench. As she approached, she could hear Cokey talking to the boy.

"... I'm sure they'll play if you ask," Cokey said shakily. "And if you don't want to play, you can come back to the pub."

The boy looked over at the playground, and then back to the old man, without saying a word.

"You'll be fine," Cokey said, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Just-" The old man stopped and turned to look directly at Lily, exposing his blind eye. "Ah, good afternoon, love!"

"Good afternoon," Lily said politely, hiding that she had been eavesdropping as she walked closer to them.

"I'm Cokey," Cokey said, holding out his hand.

"Lily Snape." Lily took Cokey's hand and shook it, almost pulling back from how hard his hand muscles were.

"Snape? I thought the Snapes had a son."

"Severus. I married him."

"Ah." There was a pause. "And this-" Cokey gently nudged the boy.

"Miles," the boy said quietly, stepping behind Cokey.

Lily froze at the sight of the boy, now that she was paying closer attention. He was small, dangerously thinner even than Alice, which was highlighted by the lack of color on his skin; the only color she could even identify was the faintest tan line where his collar and sleeves ended. His hair was somewhere between black and brown, and his eyes were equally dim and dark.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miles," Lily said warmly. "Do you mind if I call you 'Milo'?"

Miles looked up at Cokey with a furrowed brow.

"Do you like nicknames?" Cokey asked the boy.

Miles shrugged. "Are nicknames good?" Only now did Lily pick up on the thickest Black Country accent she'd ever heard.

"Sometimes; why?"

"Mum and Uncle used to call me 'Woggy'."

Lily felt her mouth open at the word, and it took her a bit of self-control not to tear up.

"... well, 'Milo' is a good nickname," Cokey said shakily.

Milo turned to Lily and nodded. "Okay."

"Okay?" Lily asked.

"'Milo' is good," Milo explained, stepping a little out from behind Cokey.

"Are they yours?" Cokey asked as he gestured to the children on the swings and slides.

"All but one," Lily answered. She turned back to Milo. "I'm sure they-"

"Mummy!" Marley came running up to Lily. "I just had the best idea!" She was about to say more, but she stopped as soon as her eyes fell on Cokey and Milo. "Oh, hello!"

"This," Lily said, taking advantage of the situation, "is my youngest, Marley."

"I'm Marley," Marley repeated as she held out her hand to shake Cokey's.

Cokey smiled and shook her hand.

"... you have very hard hands," Marley said in shock.

"I used to be a carpenter," Cokey explained with a laugh. He nudged Milo again.

"I-I-" Milo reluctantly held out his hand as he averted eye contact. "I'm Miles."

Marley quickly grabbed his hand and shook it.

"We were thinking," Lily explained to Marley, "that Milo could play with you. Is that alright?"

Marley grinned and took Milo by the crook of his arm. "C'mon, let's go meet everyone."

Milo looked back at Cokey and Lily with a shocked expression as he was dragged off by Marley, and Lily and Cokey sat down on the bench.

"So," Lily broached carefully, "he mentioned his mum and uncle..."

"They're my niece and nephew," Cokey explained.

"And how long is he visiting you for?"

"Indefinitely."

Lily didn't have a response for Cokey's answer, as she hadn't expected it. "Oh... I'm... I'm so sorry."

"For what?"

Lily blinked. "Well... Milo mentioned them in the past tense, so I just thought-"

"They're still alive," Cokey said.

"... it's a sensitive subject," Lily answered for him. "I apologize-"

"No, no," Cokey said with a shaky wave of his hand. "You couldn't have known."

Lily watched as Marley brought Milo to speak with Alice, who was too busy swinging on the swing set, so she instead led him to the slides. "Do you live nearby?" she asked.

"Number 1, Spinner's End."

Lily smiled. "Number 1? I live on Number 13!"

"Still at that old Snape house, eh?" Cokey laughed. "Small world!"

"How old is he?" Lily asked.

"Nine this past April," Cokey answered.

"Marley's nine on the 23rd! They'll be in the same year at school, then."

They were broken out of their conversation as Marley started shouting at Harry and Dudley. Lily stood and quickly said to Cokey, "One moment," before hurrying over to see what was going on.

"- you don't have to be so mean about it!" Marley was saying angrily.

"I thought he was dumb!" Dudley shouted back.

"MARLENE! DUDLEY!"

Marley and Dudley froze and stepped back as Lily approached. "Mummy," Marley started, pointing at Dudley, "Dudley and Harry called Milo 'dumb'!"

Lily felt an intense heat rise from her chest, but it was the sight of the wet-eyed, cowering Milo that pushed her over the edge. "HARRY JAMES SNAPE!" she snapped. "YOU WILL APOLOGIZE THIS INSTANT!"

"Mum-"

"RIGHT NOW!"

Harry glanced over to Milo, wide-eyed, before turning his entire body. "... sorry I called you dumb."

Milo walked over to Cokey, who had appeared beside Lily, and stood behind him.

Lily locked eyes with Dudley wordlessly.

Dudley copied Harry, but simply said, "Sorry."

"You can both wait by the car," Lily said firmly.

Harry and Dudley walked off in a sulk.

Lily turned to Cokey to gauge his reaction. "I'm so sorry," she began.

Cokey held up his hand. "No, no, boys will be boys," he replied shakily. He turned and patted Milo on the back. "I don't think anyone'll be calling you dumb now, mate."

Milo looked up at Cokey, then at Lily, and then at Marley.

"How about we go sit by the crack willows?" Marley suggested.

Milo looked back at Cokey.

"The trees by the cut," Cokey explained.

Milo remained silent.

"... the river, mate," Cokey explained further.

Milo nodded quietly, hugging the book, which Lily could see was The Hobbit, close to his chest.

"We live right by it," Lily said to Milo. "You're free to pop by whenever you want."

"I have to go back to work now," Cokey said. "You know the way home from here?"

Milo nodded again.

"C'mon." Marley dragged Milo by his arm once again, the boy hurrying along with her as they disappeared into the thicket along the thin pathway to the river.

"I'll keep an eye on them," Lily reassured Cokey. "And maybe, Milo would like to visit tomorrow? I could make them some lunch."

"That'll be lovely," Cokey said. "Tararabit."

"Tararabit," Lily returned as the old man hobbled quickly from the playground and back where he'd come from. Staying by the slides, she noticed Neville was watching quietly. "Aren't you going to play, sweetheart?"

"I-I will," Neville said quickly as he slid down.

"... is it because I shouted?" Lily asked.

"No," Neville replied, standing up. "It's just... I don't think Harry or Dudley were calling Milo 'stupid'."

"What else do you think they meant?"

"Well... he wasn't talking, so we thought he... couldn't talk."

"... oh, I see," Lily said quietly. She squeezed Neville's shoulder. "I'll go speak with them, then."

Lily walked over to the car, seeing that Harry and Dudley were sitting on the curb in front of it. Stepping in front of them, she crouched down. "Harry, Dudley," she began, "what did you mean when you said Milo was dumb?"

"... he didn't say anything when we talked to him," Harry answered.

"Did you mean 'mute'?"

"Dad says it means the same thing."

"Do you think Marley or Milo know that?"

Harry shook his head as he looked down at his feet. "Sorry for ruining Aunt Petunia's birthday, mum."

"... sweetheart, you didn't ruin it," Lily said as she pulled both Harry and Dudley into a hug. "Just... be more careful with what you say to people."

Both boys nodded.

"... are you gonna tell Dad?" Harry asked.

"Not this time," Lily reassured them. She gestured over to the slides. "You and Dudley can both go back and play."

"... I don't feel like it, anymore," Dudley said.

"We could sit together, then?"

Dudley nodded as Harry went off and rejoined Neville.

Lily and Dudley sat on the bench together while the former thought about Marley's new friend. He seemed like a nice boy... quiet, but nice.

---

Marley I

Wednesday, 11 July 1991

Marley was on the swing set, swinging back and forth as high as she could while she waited for Milo. Mummy had promised that she would make cheese toasties for them at around lunchtime and that Daddy would bring them over once he was done with brewing. She'd wanted Milo to come over, but she remembered that Muggles would probably panic if they saw someone like Snarky, which reminded her that Milo was a Muggle.

Marley had never really befriended a Muggle before. She went to a Muggle school with Muggle teachers and Muggle students, and she got along with them, but she didn't really see any of them as friends; usually, they'd go off on their own and leave her at the swing set by herself, which was fine, since she could always come home and play with Snarky and Rory, or with Big Marley when she and Uncle Remus came to visit, or with Aunt Mary and Brandy when they came to visit. But she knew that spending time with Milo would be different, as the things she was allowed to talk about were limited. Then again, she could pretend to play pretend with him, so maybe-

Marley shifted as she saw Milo coming down the sidewalk. "Hi, Milo!" Marley called out with a smile.

Milo awkwardly raised his hand and waved before sticking it back to his side.

"You didn't bring your book?"

Milo shook his head.

Marley and Milo stared at each other quietly, before she plucked up the courage and said, "Do you want to go sit by the crack willows again?"

Milo nodded.

Marley hopped off the swing and strode over to Milo, taking him by the arm and leading him from the playground and through the thicket along the narrow path until they reached the water. She let go of his arm and sat down on the grass, patting the ground next to her.

Like yesterday, Milo chose to sit on the tree root jutting out of the ground.

"Are you allergic to grass?" Marley asked.

Milo shook his head.

"Why don't you want to sit down."

"... wet."

"What?"

"... I don't want a wet bum."

Marley felt her cheeks puff up as she failed to hold in a laugh. "But it feels nice in the summer."

"Hot and wet?" Milo asked as his brow furrowed.

"Why not? We could've gone to the pool, but Mummy and Daddy have to stay home today, and Aunt Tuney and Uncle Peter are both busy, and then Big Marley and Uncle Remus are busy too, and Aunt Mary-" Marley stopped herself. "We should go to the pool some time."

Milo opened his mouth to speak, but it soon shut once more.

"What is it?"

Milo shrugged.

"What?"

"... are pools deep?"

"You've never been?" Marley wasn't sure what to make of it. Milo was a Muggle; surely, he'd been to a public pool before.

Milo shook his head.

"Well, what do you normally do in the summer?"

Milo shrugged.

"... what do you like reading?" Marley asked, now desperate to get any information out of him.

Milo shrugged. "This and that."

"Do you like cheese toasties?"

"... what?"

"Cheese toasties."

"I- yeah, why?"

"No reason," Marley said with a smirk; she was hoping Daddy would arrive soon with the goods.

Milo's brow furrowed even deeper. "Are we having cheese toasties?"

Marley froze at Milo's question. "How did you know?"

"... I think anyone could've guessed."

Marley laughed a bit more, this time unable to stop the snort that came out. She clapped a hand over her mouth, making sure to also cover her nose, as her face suddenly warmed. She glanced over at Milo, who had turned his attention away from her and was now looking at something behind her. Lowering her hand, she turned her head to see a familiar, dark, brooding figure approaching. She smiled, hurrying off the grass and over to the figure. "Hi, Daddy!"

"Your mother asked me to bring you this," Daddy said as he handed Marley the cheese toasties he was holding. "I assume this is the friend she was talking about?"

Marley didn't know when Milo had stood from the tree root, but he appeared at her side without any warning whatsoever. "Miles Glenn, sir," Milo said quietly.

Daddy was quiet for a moment before he responded. "... any relation to Martin or Catherine Glenn?"

Martin? Catherine? Milo's last name is Glenn?

"Uncle and mum, sir," Milo answered. Marley noticed how his eyes flickered to the sandwiches in her hands before looking back at Daddy.

"Here," Marley said as she shoved a toastie into Milo's hands, which caused the latter to almost drop it. "Mummy makes the best cheese toasties."

Milo looked down at the sandwich and back to Daddy. "Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome," Daddy replied.

The two stared at each other for a bit before Marley got bored and grabbed Milo's arm. "C'mon, Milo," she said. "Let's eat!"

"Have a nice lunch," Daddy called after them.

"Tararabit," Milo called back to Daddy awkwardly.

Marley dragged him back to the tree root and sat him down before sitting in front of him and frantically freeing the toastie from its wrapping. She started blowing on it profusely to cool it down (she had a bad habit of burning her mouth), and she glanced over to see Milo holding the toastie peculiarly, opening it to inspect what was between the two slices of bread. After closing it, he took a small bite.

"Is it good?" Marley asked hopefully.

For the first time, a warmth appeared on Milo's face, spreading from his smiling mouth to his dull eyes, which were now vibrant. He nodded as he looked directly at her. "Bostin."

Marley smiled back and took a bite of her own, taking in the flavor of the cheese and butter. "What's your favorite food?"

Milo looked down at the sandwich before looking back to Marley. "Well... this."

"Okay, aside from cheese toasties."

Milo looked down at the sandwich again. "... but this one's the best." He took another bite, this one slightly larger.

Marley watched as Milo ate, the boy's eyes fixed almost entirely on the food in his hands. She smiled and took a bite of her own toastie, and, like always, she burned her mouth.

Quote from The Gestalt Prince on April 18, 2024, 2:05 pm

Chapter 2: Friday the 13th

Miles I

Friday, 13 Jul 1991

Miles woke up to a foreign smell coming from downstairs. He sat up, pulling the covers off as he swung his legs out of bed and looked around at the room he'd started calling home. His bed was much bigger than the one he'd had before, although he'd been nervous sleeping in it on account of the lack of bars or rails around the edges; he'd had to sleep as close to the wall to avoid rolling out of bed, and he'd even put his pillows (he couldn't believe he had two pillows now) on the ground as a means of cushioning his fall. Stepping down onto the pillows, he soon felt his feet touch wood, and he bent down and placed the pillows back where they'd been at the headboard.

Miles quietly walked over to the wardrobe and opened it up to look at the clothes Cokey had bought for him, all of which came in various colors. He picked out one of his old grey shirts and a new pair of jeans and put them on before remembering that he was supposed to shower first. He undressed and carried his clothes into the bathroom, setting them down on the floor as he took a quick shower with hot water. He used as little soap as he could manage (he didn't want to waste Cokey's money), and was out, dried, and dressed before he heard Cokey call him down for breakfast.

Miles went down the staircase and entered the sitting room, peering into the dawn-lit kitchen to find Cokey shuffling from the stove to the refrigerator. As he turned around, he waved to Miles and said, "Morning, mate."

"Morning," Miles parroted back. He still needed to get used to this sort of thing.

"I just put the eggs on, but you can start with the fruit."

Miles nodded and sat down at his seat, looking at the small bowl overflowing with mixed berries. He picked one of the blueberries out and chewed on it slowly, before picking up another one. They were sweet, but not too sweet.

Cokey hobbled over with two plates and set one before Miles. "Eat while it's hot."

Miles looked at the food before him: two slices of buttered toast beside scrambled eggs, along with two juicy strips of meat. "What's that?" he asked.

"You've never had bacon before?"

"That's bacon?"

"Danish bacon, yeah. I thought you might like to have a bacon butty." Cokey set his own plate down, and Miles saw that every single inch of food was charred. Both the toast and bacon on the old man's plate looked like charcoal, while the eggs looked completely solid.

Miles wasn't sure what to make of it, but he nodded in thanks and went to pick up the eggs, stopping himself halfway when he remembered he had to use a fork. He took the eggs with the fork, spreading them across the surface of the toast, and followed up by putting the Danish bacon on top before covering it with the second slice of toast.

The two ate quietly before Cokey spoke again and asked, "What are you planning for today?"

Miles stopped eating to answer. "I was going to see if Marley wanted to play after she came back."

"Where's she off to?"

Miles shrugged. "I think she's going to see family in Evesham." He didn't know where that was.

Cokey took a bite of his breakfast, and Miles could hear the overcooked food disintegrate in the old man's mouth. "Evesham, eh? Not too far, then."

Miles shook his head, pretending to agree.

"Tell you what, mate. How about you invite Marley to the pub for some pasties on my break?"

The offer caught Miles by surprise. "... really?"

"Why not?"

"... thank you, sir," Miles said politely. He continued eating what was on his plate and took a sip of orange juice, which was far too sweet.

After breakfast, Miles returned to his room and sat at the desk beside his bed, looking at the book next to him. Cokey had given it to him on his first night here, and while he'd accepted the gift, he didn't know what to do with it. Well, he knew what to do with it, but he'd never had experience with it, for some reason; most of the time, when Mum had told him to get something with a certain name, he'd guessed at it, and the number of times he'd failed had taught him (very unpleasantly) how to make better guesses. He would be going to school around the end of summer, and he wasn't sure if it was a good or bad thing; he would learn something, but everyone would know he was behind.

"READY TO GO, MATE?!" Cokey called up.

"COMING!" Miles called back, grabbing the book and hurrying back out, following Cokey out the front door and on the way to the pub.

---

Severus I

Severus was taking slow, methodical bites of his scrambled eggs as he shared a knowing look with Lily, whose smiling eyes darted to the refrigerator while Snarky and the children weren't looking (which almost caused him to choke on his mouthful). Clearing his mind of the debaucherous thoughts in his wife's head (and his), he said to Alice-Marie, "Remember to listen to your aunt and uncle."

"Yes, Papa."

"And you're responsible for making sure Marley and the boys are well-behaved," Lily added.

"Yes, Mama."

"Why do you always call us 'the boys'?" Harry asked.

"Should we say 'your siblings' instead?" Severus asked back.

"... no, that makes you sound like a robot," Harry admitted. "Why not say 'Harry and Neville'?"

"Wouldn't it be 'Neville and Harry'?" Marlene asked.

"Why?"

"Neville's older."

"Yeah but... that doesn't sound right, does it?" Harry turned to Neville. "What do you think?"

Neville shrugged. "I'm fine either way."

"So, I should say 'Harry, Neville, and Marlene?" Severus asked.

"... that's a mouthful," Marlene said.

"Brevity," Severus said.

"... Daddy, I don't know what that means."

"A noun meaning 'shortness of duration'," Alice-Marie said primly.

"Ten points to Snape," Lily said with a smile.

"Why aren't you coming with us?" Marlene asked.

"Well," Severus said, reciting the lines he and Lily had decided on, "your mother and I will be busy going over this coming year's syllabus, not to mention the potion I'm brewing."

"But you already finished brewing it," Marlene reminded him.

"This is a new one."

"Do you have to?"

"The field of potioneering is ever-growing, dear. I have to stay updated."

"Why?"

"Your father's writing a new edition of Potionmaking for Dunderheads," Lily answered.

Marlene gasped dramatically. "Daddy," she said in an offended tone, "how could you keep that a secret?"

"You sound as though you're such a fan of my work," Severus said sarcastically.

"Well, you wrote it," Marlene replied with a grin, "so of course I am."

Severus felt a familiar tightness in his chest, but he pushed the feeling down and nodded.

"What's it called?" Neville asked.

"Potionmaking for Dunderheads, 2nd Edition," Severus answered.

All four children looked at him strangely.

"... have I said something?" Severus asked.

"Daddy," Marlene answered slowly, "that's a really boring name."

Severus reached to take a sip of his tea, which was very bitter. "I'm sure other readers will appreciate the simplicity."

"Well yeah, it's written for dunderheads."

Severus spit tea back into his cup as a laugh escaped from behind his lips.

"Don't let them hear that, Miss Snape," Lily said sternly, although the laughter in her voice betrayed her. She turned to Snarky and asked, "What do you think of the name?"

The house-elf sneered at Lily. "... 'think'?" he asked, almost disgusted by the word as he shook his head and took a sip of pumpkin juice.

"Oh, come on, Snarky," Marlene said with a whine. "You have to have opinions on something!"

"Snarky refuses," Snarky replied definitively.

After breakfast finished and the table was cleared (and enough time had passed), Severus and Lily gathered the children around the fireplace and threw Floo powder in, green flames erupting from it. Lily bent down and stuck her face in and called out, "Hello?"

A few seconds passed before Severus heard Mary's voice on the other end. "Morning! And happy anniversary!"

"Is it alright for the children to come through?" Lily asked.

"Maisie and Ellie are still asleep-"

"Oh, of course, they'll be as silent as church mice," Lily reassured the other woman. She turned, pulling her head out of the green flames, and asked, "Who's going first?"

Harry and Marlene immediately leaped into the flames, and Severus heard Mary let out a laugh. Alice-Marie straightened the skirt of her dress out rather properly and took Neville's hand, calmly leading the nervous boy after their siblings.

"Snarky?" Lily asked, turning to-

Pop.

Lily looked back into the green flames and said, "Alright, have a good time!"

"Bye, Mum!" Harry called back.

The flames died down and dissipated, leaving Severus and Lily alone save for Rory, who was sleeping in Neville and Harry's room. The two turned to each other, letting out a breath in unison.

"So-"

Severus wasn't allowed to finish his sentence, as Lily's lips crashed into his, nearly flattening him out on the table behind them. He pulled her into an embrace, feeling for the buttons on her blouse as she straddled him.

"W-wait," Lily said, pulling back with a gasp.

"What is it?"

Lily gestured to the refrigerator.

"Right. Go upstairs, I'll bring it up."

Lily all but sprinted to the staircase, and the sound of footsteps thundered as she rushed up. Severus hurried to the refrigerator and levitated out the bowls of strawberries and cream, striding quickly to the staircase and hurrying up after her as he pulled out his wand.

---

Miles II

Watching Cokey in the pub's kitchen was completely different from watching him at home. The old man's shaky demeanor was almost completely gone as the cleaver furiously chopped through meat and onion alike, as he pulled out different sorts of foods he'd prepared the evening before and put everything on the right plate or in the right bowl in exactly the right way, all while barking orders at the other members of staff (of which there were only two). Nigel the pastry chef (Miles didn't even know chefs could be so specific) took most of the orders on the chin, but Ross seemed less than pleased with the way Cokey talked to him. Miles didn't really have a problem with it; when Cokey needed something, he needed it now.

Miles himself was sitting in the back room, staring at the book Cokey'd given him. The cover was entirely green, with some mountains at the top and a long dragon at the bottom; if he had to guess, it was about a dragon living in the mountains. He took a small bite of one of the pork scratchings Cokey had given him as a snack as he imagined what happened in the book. It was long, so it probably had something to do with the dragon flying away from home and exploring the world around him, or maybe being visited by an outsider.

Miles looked at the clock in the back room and saw that both hands were near the top numbers, which told him he had to leave and go to Spinner's End to see if Marley was there. He hurried out with his book and peeked into the kitchen, where Cokey was just about ready to go on his lunch break. "Cokey?"

"You off, mate?"

Miles nodded.

"Tararabit."

"Tararabit."

Miles left the pub and hurried down the sidewalk to Spinner's End, looking up at the numbers above the doors. He recognized Number 1, the very first house on the street when coming from the main road, and started working his way down until he reached the very last house, which he'd learned was Number 13. He looked at the numbers on the door, seeing that they were the same numbers as the first two houses combined. Hoping he had the right house, he knocked on the door and took a few steps back.

There was some noise behind the door after some time had passed, and it suddenly opened, revealing Mrs. Snape in her tightly-bound dressing gown (it was still morning, so she must've woken up). Her face was flushed red and damp (she must've just taken a very hot shower), and there was some cream on her lip (maybe something from breakfast, but it didn't really make sense for her to have food on her lip if she'd just gotten out of the shower).

"G-good morning, Mrs. Snape," Miles began.

"G-good morning, Milo," Mrs. Snape said with a broad smile, now hiding all but her head behind the door. She seemed nervous. "Are you looking for Marley?"

Miles nodded.

"I'm afraid she left an hour ago, but she'll be back at around... maybe 4:00?"

Miles nodded. "Okay."

"I have to go now," Mrs. Snape continued in a hurry. "I have to wash my hair."

"Sorry."

"No, don't worry, dear. Have a nice day!"

"Have-"

The door shut before Miles could finish his sentence, and he heard the sound of someone running quickly up a flight of steps on the other side of the wall. Mrs. Snape must've really needed to wash her hair.

---

Marlene I

"Round and round the garden," Alice was saying to Maisie while tracing a circle around the little girl's palm, "like a teddy bear. One step-" Alice walked one finger up Maisie's arm. "-two step-" followed by the other. "- tickle you under there!" Her hand shot to Maisie's closed armpit as she started tickling the younger girl, the latter erupting with laughter as she squirmed to escape.

Marlene laughed with Maisie while cradling little Ellie, the baby looking around in confusion at the sound. 'That was your cousin Alice," Marlene said to Ellie. "She's being very silly with Maisie."

Ellie blew a bubble and moved one of her hands to reach up to Marlene's face.

"Alice," Marlene asked, "what was I like as a baby?"

"Fat."

"Alice," Marlene whined.

"... okay, you were cute," Alice admitted as Maisie picked up one of her dolls and showed it to them.

"How are my girls?" Mary asked as she walked in with Brandy, the elderly crup slowly skipping beside her.

"We're doing the teddy bear rhyme!" Maisie said excitedly.

"And I bet Alice-Marie does it very well," Mary said with a smile as she knelt down beside them. She turned to Alice and said, "Sweetheart, I'm afraid it's time to go back home; Uncle Reggie and I are going out to dinner with the children."

"What?" Maisie's eyes started welling up as she started crying. "Mummy, no!"

"But Alice and Marley have to go back to their mummy and daddy, don't they?"

"We can come back another time, can't we?" Marlene asked Maisie as Mary took Ellie out of her arms.

Maisie nodded and said something Marlene couldn't understand.

"How about we invite Aunt Marley and Uncle Remus next time?" Mary asked Maisie.

Maisie's eyes lit up as she curled her hands into very excited fists. "REALLY?!"

"Of course."

"A-and Aunt Marley can play the Wolf Game?!"

"Absolutely." Mary kissed Maisie on the top of her head and said to Alice and Marlene, "Nev and Harry are waiting with Uncle Reggie."

Alice walked hand-in-hand with Maisie, while Aunt Mary took Ellie from Marley's arms, leaving the girl to instead walk right beside Brandy, who was having trouble going down the steps. After some struggle, the crup finally reached the bottom and started pawing at Marley's leg, prompting her to kneel and receive a lick on the nose.

"I'll miss you," Marley cooed as she hugged Brandy. "And maybe, I can bring you a treat next time!"

"Here's our gift for your mum and dad," Uncle Reggie said as he handed a box to Alice.

"We should surprise them," Harry said excitedly. "We could sneak up on them and jump out right at the end."

"What if they're busy?" Nev asked. "The last time we snuck up on Mum, she dropped that potion she was working on."

"Oh, but you see, Neville," Marley explained, intentionally using Nev's full name, "Mummy said she was working on her syllabus. There's nothing for her to drop or break."

"Everyone ready?" Mary asked as she threw the Floo powder into the fireplace.

"Bye, Aunt Mary!" Harry said as he quickly hugged her and rushed headfirst into the fireplace.

Marley gave Maisie and Mary a tight hug before following after her brother, and she found him alone in the sitting room. "So-"

"Shh," Harry said in a whisper, putting a finger over his mouth. He continued in a hushed tone, "We have to be sneaky."

"Slytherin sneaky?" Marley asked.

Harry nodded.

"Snarky," Marley called out in a hushed tone as Alice and Nev passed through the fireplace.

Pop. "Miss Marlene called for Snarky?"

"We have to be extra sneaky," Marley explained. "We're surprising Mummy and Daddy."

Snarky nodded his head slowly and gestured for everyone to remain quiet. "Follow Snarky," Snarky whispered.

Marley followed Snarky up the steps, with Harry and Alice close behind and Nev behind all of them. They finally reached the top of the staircase and tip-toed to Mummy and Daddy's bedroom, the door closed.

"Alright," Harry mouthed to them all. "One..."

Marley reached for the doorknob.

"Two..."

Alice moved near the front with the wrapped gift from Aunt Mary and Uncle Reggie. Marley turned the doorknob.

"THREE!"

Marley pushed the door open as quickly as possible.

"HAPPY ANNIV-"

There was a bowl of strawberries and a bowl of cream. Mummy was floating upside down. Daddy was touching Mummy's bum. Both were naked.

And everyone (loudest of all, Snarky) started screaming.

---

Miles III

Miles had grown to like the smell of the river after only a few visits. The water was calm, gently moving in one direction, which he could see with the occasional small branch or leaf moving along the surface. Resting beside him was the basket Cokey had given him with the pasties inside, along with a couple of apples and pears. He was sure the pasties were cold by now, given how long he'd waited; he'd wanted to come early so that she wouldn't have to wait for him. He didn't know what time it was right now, but he knew that the sun had moved closer to the horizon; fortunately, there was plenty of time left until sundown, meaning he could look at the cover of his book for longer.

A distant sound came from behind, and Miles turned to find the source of it. Off in the distance, he saw two shapes of equal height; one had black hair, and the other red, which meant it was probably Alice-Marie and Marley. From the way they sounded, they didn't seem very happy, with Marley being very vocal about something. As they drew closer, he could make out what they were saying.

"- shouldn't have walked in on them," Alice-Marie was saying.

"Will you STOP TALKING ABOUT IT?!" Marley screamed as she buried her face in her hands.

"You'll trip!" Alice-Marie exclaimed as she quickly took Marley's arm and guided her away from a stone in front of them. "Honestly, if I had a nut for every time you-" She stopped mid-sentence, in her tracks, as she made silent eye contact with Miles.

"... Alice, what's wrong?" Marley removed the hands covering her face, revealing her puffy eyes and sniffling nose. As she looked at Miles, she quickly dried her face and said, "Hi, Milo."

"Hi." Miles was focused on Marley, nervous about what was bothering her but unwilling to ask about her mood. He turned and grabbed the basket. "I have food, if you want some."

Alice-Marie furrowed her brow, looking between Miles and the basket before nodding curtly. Following Marley's lead, she in turn smoothed out her skirt and sat down. "What do you have?" she asked stiffly, looking Miles up and down.

"... I-I have pasties and papples and- apples and pears," Miles said hurriedly, opening up the basket and quickly grabbing both pasties, handing one to each of the girls.

Alice-Marie gingerly looked over the pasty handed to her and broke a piece off to look inside. "Mutton?"

Miles nodded.

"... I don't like mutton," Marley whimpered.

Miles felt a panic growing within himself, and he quickly took the pasty from Marley and exchanged it for an apple.

Marley took the apple and nibbled at the skin.

"... what's wrong?" Miles didn't realize the words had left his mouth before it was too late.

"Mummy and Daddy-"

"Marlene," Alice-Marie panicked, "don't bring it up."

"What?" Miles looked between the two of them. Mrs. Snape looked fine when he'd seen her, and he hadn't heard any sirens. "What happened? Did something happen to them?"

"... they did something gross," Marley mumbled.

"Marlene!" Alice-Marie exclaimed.

Miles thought back to how Mrs. Snape had looked when she'd opened the door; she'd been hiding behind it as if she hadn't wanted Miles to see something, which made sense since she was in a dressing gown. But what could Mr. and Mrs. Snape have been doing that Marley would think was gross, and that Alice-Marie wouldn't want to talk... about...?

"... were they shagging?" Miles asked.

Both Marley and Alice-Marie's eyes locked onto Miles, the latter of whom appeared outraged. Miles felt his face redden as he realized he'd said something wrong.

"Alice," Marley asked, turning to the older girl, "what-"

"When you're older," Alice-Marie said quickly. "Eat your apple."

Marley took another bite of the apple in her hand and looked at the book sitting beside Miles. "Do you like it?"

"What?" Miles asked as he took a bite of his pasty.

"The Hobbit," Marley explained.

Oh, is that what it's called? Miles looked at the words on the cover, paying close attention to the letters. "It's alright," he lied.

"What's it about?"

"Um..." Miles's eyes darted away briefly as he thought about how to explain it. "Well... there's a dragon involved."

"Aunt Mary's read it," Alice-Marie explained, cleaning her hands with one of the towels in the basket before reaching for the book.

Miles quickly put his hand over the cover and pulled it further away from the older girl.

"I'm not going to steal it," Alice-Marie said, sounding offended. "I just want to look."

Miles looked between Alice-Marie and Marley, then back down at the book, before reluctantly taking his hand away.

Alice-Marie picked it up and opened the cover. "Oh, this is a 1st edition!"

"A what?" Miles asked.

"This is one of the first ones ever printed." Alice-Marie's eyes seemed to gloss over the words. "Who's Tommy?"

"Who?"

"It says 'for Tommy'. Someone wrote it in."

Miles peeked at the words Alice-Marie was pointing at, seeing that some of the letters were the same as in 'The Hobbit'. "Oh," he answered, "well, Cokey's name is Thomas, so maybe it was a gift for him?"

"Could you read it for me?" Marley asked, scooting closer to Alice-Marie and looking at the words on the page.

"Marlene," Alice-Marie replied, "you are perfectly literate."

"Oh, but you see, Alice-Marie-"

"Oh, stop it!" Alice-Marie said quickly. "Fine, I'll-" She stopped and turned to Miles. "You wouldn't mind, would you?"

Miles shook his head. "Not at all." He scooted closer so he could get a better look at the words on the pages; if he was lucky, he could figure out which letters made which sounds.

Alice-Marie picked off a piece of her pasty and chewed on it as she turned to the first page. "'Chapter I: An Unexpected Journey'..."

Quote from The Gestalt Prince on April 23, 2024, 5:29 pm

Chapter 3: Birthdays in July

Lily I

Tuesday, 23 July 1991

"... happy birthday to you!" everyone but Severus sang as Marley blew out all nine candles on her cake.

"Can we cut it now?!" Dudley asked excitedly.

"We have to be patient, Diddykins," Mum chided. She turned to Severus and asked, "Do you think we have enough for everyone?"

Lily watched as Severus eyed the number of people present; most people couldn't tell what he was doing, but a thirteen-year marriage had helped Lily figure out that a brief, unfocused glance within a room meant taking a full inventory of whatever it was he was thinking about. Lily took the time to look around as well; Alice, Dudley, Neville, Harry, and Maisie made up six children (Ellie was too young for cake), and Severus, Petunia, Mum, Peter, Mary, Reginald, Big Marley, Remus, and herself made up nine adults (ten if including Snarky, but he hated sweets).

"Sixteen pieces total," Severus said almost immediately as the question left Mum's mouth.

"Excluding me," Mary said quickly.

"Fifteen; I put your flan in the refrigerator."

"Daddy," Marley asked, "could we save two pieces for Milo and Cokey?"

Severus was slow to answer, which allowed someone else to speak instead.

"Who?" Petunia asked.

"He's a boy who lives on our street," Lily explained.

"By Cokey," Mum asked slowly, "you mean Cokey Glenn, right?"

"Yeah," Marley said excitedly as Severus started cutting the cake. "He's got really hard hands, Gran!"

"Who's Cokey?" Big Marley asked.

"He runs the pub by the hotel," Peter answered. "I've been there a few times."

"And who's Milo?"

"Cokey's great-nephew." Lily turned to Petunia and asked, "Do you remember Catherine Glenn?"

"Oh, I hated that-" Petunia froze, stopping herself from finishing the sentence. "-that unpleasant girl."

"Miles is her son," Severus continued.

"I didn't know she was married."

"I don't think she ever was. Given the boy's surname-"

"Sev," Lily cut in, "let's not gossip at your daughter's birthday party."

Severus looked around and nodded apologetically to her. "I've measured the cake; I can cut eighteen pieces, so one will be left over for Enid."

Marley all but bounced out of her seat as she hugged Severus tightly by his waist. "Thank you, Daddy!"

Severus quickly cut the pieces and reserved two to be taken to the pub later, and everyone started eating their pieces (and Mary had gotten her flan, courtesy of Mum). It was a double chocolate cake with vanilla frosting, replacing Lily's previous idea of a strawberry cheesecake (which had been ruined by the Strawberry Incident). Dudley, Remus, and Peter all but scarfed theirs down, much to the amusement of Big Marley and Petunia. Mary and Reginald were whispering to Maisie and asking her how the cake was, which resulted in the young girl taking some of her father's and earning a laugh from everyone. Neville and Harry were guessing what their birthday cake would be like, and both agreed that anything other than strawberry would be good (with Harry obviously having a strong bias toward treacle tart, despite Neville objecting that it did not, in fact, count as a cake).

"Snarky?" Lily called out, suspecting the answer the house-elf would give after she'd asked her question.

Pop. Snarky didn't say anything as a greeting, not since the 13th.

"Would you like a slice of cake?"

Snarky eyed the cake and looked back to Lily. Pop.

"... did something happen, dear?" Mum asked.

"Nothing," Severus said quickly. "He's just busy being elsewhere."

"Aunt Marley?" Marley asked.

"Mini-Me?" Big Marley asked back.

"Are you and Uncle Remus ever getting married?"

Both Big Marley and Remus went deathly silent, with Remus's already pallid complexion growing more dim; the full moon was in three days.

"Why do you ask?" Big Marley asked, breaking the tension with a smile. "Fancy being a bridesmaid?"

"Well," Marley continued, "Milo's mummy wasn't married, but she still had Milo, so I was wondering if you were doing the same thing?"

"No no," Remus answered, "you see-"

"Wait, you're not getting married?"

"Not what I meant at all. Your aunt and I are... well, we're taking things slow."

"Why?" Maisie asked.

"If you get married without being sure," Big Marley explained, "you might find an unpleasant surprise later on. You wouldn't marry a total stranger, would you?"

"But I thought you and Uncle Remus met in your first year?" Harry asked.

"Well, we didn't date until our seventh year, and even then, there were... factors." Remus took an uncomfortable sip of water.

"What kind-"

"Marley, sweetheart," Mum interrupted, "I don't think your aunt and uncle want to discuss it."

"Oh." Marley looked between Mum and Big Marley. "Sorry, Marley."

"It's alright," Remus said as he took another sip.

There was a knock at the door, prompting Petunia to stand up. "That must be Enid," she said as she hurried to the front door. It didn't take very long for Lily and the others to hear excited chatter coming from the two.

"Where's the birthday girl?" Enid asked as she and Petunia entered the room.

"AUNTY ENID!" Marley hopped out of her chair and viciously hugged Enid.

"Oh, my goodness! You're getting so big!" Enid led Marley back to her seat and took hers between Dudley and Peter.

"Aunt Marley?" Maisie asked.

"Yes, dear?" Big Marley asked back.

"Can we play the Wolf Game after pudding?"

"I thought you already played today," Remus remarked. Lily noticed he was playing with the silver runic ring around his finger.

"Oh, but you see, Uncle Remus," Marley said, "if we don't exercise after eating cake, we'll all get fat."

Remus couldn't help but laugh. "Alright," he said reluctantly, "if your Aunt Marley feels like it."

"You're alright with it?" Big Marley asked Remus in a hushed tone. "If you-"

"I'm not the one involved," Remus answered, gently squeezing her hand. "I can always go to another room."

Big Marley gave him a small smile before kissing his cheek. She then turned to Maisie and said, "I think that's a 'yes'!"

Maisie squealed with excitement and hurried out of the dining room and into the backyard, followed equally fast by Harry, Marley, and Dudley.

"The yard's been charmed," Peter said quickly to everyone. "No one can see or hear them from the outside."

"Oh, there's my Pet-Pet for you," Petunia cooed as she kissed Peter on the cheek.

"Oh, thank you, Pet-Pet."

Both chortled, much to Lily's amusement and (subtly) Severus's disdain.

As everyone started cleaning up, Lily took the two slices of cake set aside for Milo and Cokey and said, "I'll take these over to Cokey's."

"Should I come with you?" Remus asked.

"If you'd like; I just need to pack them up properly."

"May I come with you?" Severus asked.

"Sev," Lily chided, "how could you leave our dear daughter's birthday party?"

Severus let out a small, tired sigh. "Alright, but don't take too long."

Remus was waiting by the car when Lily walked out with the Tupperware container, still fiddling with the ring on his finger as he paced back and forth.

"It won't fall off, you know," Lily said, nudging Remus's arm.

Remus sighed and nodded. "Right, you're right."

They both got into the car, and Lily started the engine. "If it bothers you so much, you could talk to her about it."

"No, it's fine," Remus said unconvincingly as he took the Tupperware from her and set it on his lap.

"Remus, just tell her." The car pulled away from the house, and they were both on their way to Spinner's End.

"I'm not stopping my w- my partner from playing the Wolf Game. If the children enjoy it, it's fine." Remus glanced out the window and up at the sky.

"... it's been years since you transformed," Lily reminded Remus.

"The memories don't just go away."

"Have you thought about therapy?" Lily had wanted to avoid asking, but there was only so much she could take.

"St. Mungo's has a group therapy program; I go on Sundays."

"Marley must be lonely at church, all by herself."

"It's an evening session, which doesn't always work out given... well, if it's the evening of a full moon..."

Lily let out a dry laugh. "They need to rethink their schedule."

The car pulled up right outside Cokey's, and Lily stepped out with the Tupperware. Looking through the window, she could see there were a few patrons, and Cokey was busy pouring a drink for someone at the bar. The old man turned and looked at Lily before waving.

"Afternoon, love," Cokey said cheerfully. "You looking for some fittles?"

"Oh, no, thank you," Lily said as she walked up. "It was Marley's birthday today-"

"Oh, wish her a happy birthday from us," Cokey interrupted.

"Well, she asked me to bring you and Milo some of the cake," Lily continued, showing him the Tupperware. "It's a bit crude, but-"

"Oh," Cokey said, his shaky voice growing warmer at the sight of the Tupperware. "Oh, that's bostin, that is. Sweet girl, isn't she?"

"So I've been told," Lily grinned, setting the Tupperware down on the countertop.

Cokey turned to face the doorway into the kitchen and shouted, "MILO!"

Lily glanced through the doorway as well and saw Milo come out from a door near the back in a hurry, staying as far away from the two cooks in the kitchen as possible. Soon enough, he was out in the open.

"Yeah?" Milo asked as he looked up at Cokey.

"Mrs. Snape brought us some cake from Marley's birthday party."

Milo's eyes darted to the Tupperware, and a broad smile spread across his face as he looked up at Lily. "Thank you, Mrs. Snape!" Before he took the Tupperware, he stopped and quickly looked back at the door he'd come through. "W-wait one moment!" He rushed back, nearly crashing into one of the cooks on the way in (much to Cokey's amusement and the cook's dismay), and returned with a card in his hand. "I have a birthday card for her."

"Oh, that's lovely, Milo," Lily said, taking a quick peek at the card to see what Milo had written.

Der Marley,

Happe Burthday

Mils

Lily wasn't sure she'd read the words right, but she smiled nonetheless and said to the boy, "I'll make sure she gets it."

Milo smiled again and nodded.

As Lily got back into the car, she set the card down between her and Remus, who was fidgeting with his ring again.

"Nice talk?" Remus asked.

Lily nodded. "They're rather sweet. Milo wrote a card for Marley."

"Oh, really?" Remus took the card. "No envelope?"

Lily shook her head as she started the car and pulled away from the curb.

Remus opened the card and glanced over it, and a familiar look of uncertainty appeared on his face. "How old is he?"

"Nine."

Remus looked up from the card. "Nine?!"

Lily nodded.

"I-" Remus looked over the card again. "Where- there's no way of me asking this question without sounding insulting, but where did he go to school?"

"I really don't know." Lily drummed the steering wheel with her fingers as she passed street after street. "I'm a bit worried about how he'll do when he's at school with Marley."

They pulled up to the Pettigrew house and got out. "Well, I'm sure Cokey has it under control," Remus said reassuringly.

They stepped back inside the house, Lily not responding to Remus's words as she thought about Milo. Petunia, Mum, Peter, and Enid were still at the table, each drinking what smelled like coffee. Alice and Neville were also with them, but both were drinking pumpkin juice instead. Baby Ellie was in Alice's arms, knackered from the day's excitement.

"Did Mary and Reggie leave already?" Remus asked in confusion.

"No, they're out back with Marlene and the children," Petunia replied just as they all heard excited screaming.

"And Sev?" Lily asked.

"Also back there."

Lily peeked out the kitchen window and let out a laugh at what she saw. Severus was standing cross-armed with a wand in his hand, Mary and Reginald standing beside him and chatting away, as the three watched a large grey wolf playfully bounding after the children. Maisie fell on her bum as the wolf pounced at her, nuzzling its nose into the girl's belly and tickling her, before switching to go after Harry and Dudley, who had both taken refuge in Dudley's old playhouse. Marley was sitting on the roof of the house, squealing as the wolf reached up and tried to poke her forehead with her nose.

The wolf shifted form, and Big Marley ruffled her hair as she said in a muffled voice, "Marlene Snape, you know the roof is out of bounds!"

Marley laughed as Big Marley grabbed her by the waist and lifted her off the roof of the playhouse, only to be set down on the grass. Big Marley shifted back into her wolf form and began bounding around Marley, the latter now caught in a fit of laughter at the sight of the playful canine.

Lily hadn't noticed that Remus was standing beside her, looking out at his partner playing with the children. He still looked pale, and there was some wariness in his eye.

"She's not going to hurt them," Lily said softly.

"I-I know," Remus said with a nod.

They both went back to sit at the table with the others, Peter offering them both a cup of coffee.

---

Marlene I

Tuesday, 30 July 1991

Marley loved the 30th of July; it was the only day out of the year when she was allowed to stay up past midnight so that they could celebrate both Nev's and Harry's birthdays at the same time. Mummy and Daddy had made a small treacle tart for Harry and an equally small lemon meringue pie for Nev, with a small display set in the middle with eleven unlit candles sitting on it to avoid the wax dripping on either puddings.

Nev and Harry were sitting excitedly at their seats, almost as excitedly as Marley was. Alice looked like she was holding back a yawn, but Marley knew her sister didn't mean anything by it other than being tired. Snarky had just come down with Rory, the latter leaping onto Harry's lap and purring as he settled down and rested his chin on the table.

"Rory, no," Alice chided, gently waving for Rory to take his head off the table.

Rory meowed and complied, this time headbutting Harry's chin to get some affection.

"I bet you'll be glad to see us this year, right?" Harry asked the half-Kneazle as he scratched the latter's head. "Here's hoping I'm in Gryffindor!"

"What House do you think you'll be Sorted into?" Alice asked Nev.

"As long as it isn't Hufflepuff, I'll be fine," Nev said.

"What's wrong with Hufflepuff?"

"It's where all the leftovers go."

"You'll be fine," Alice said, giving Nev a side hug. "Hufflepuff's the House of hard work, justice, and fair play."

"Yeah, but... what about Dad?"

"I think he'd rather you be in Hufflepuff than Gryffindor," Harry joked.

Nev smirked and nudged Harry.

It didn't immediately hit Marley as to why she hadn't added anything to the conversation, but a second glance at the eleven candles on the display made her feel the gravity of the situation. Up until Alice was old enough to attend Muggle school, Mummy and Daddy had brought everyone to live at Hogwarts during the school year, where they were usually taken care of by the house-elves (and the ghosts had always had a special interest in Alice). Then, once Alice was five, Gran and Aunt Tuney offered to let them live at their house during the school year, and Gran insisted that they go to Muggle school; due to age, Marley was the only one out of the four who'd gone to nursery. Alice leaving for Hogwarts had resulted in Marley crying herself to sleep for the first two nights, but living with Gran and Aunt Tuney and Uncle Peter and Dudley wasn't too bad, and Mummy and Daddy still visited them once a week to see how they were all doing.

But now, Marley realized that Nev, Harry, and Dudley were leaving her in Cokeworth.

Mummy and Daddy walked into the dining room, one carrying the treacle tart and the other carrying the lemon meringue pie.

"Happy birthday to you..." Mummy sang.

Nev and Harry wouldn't walk with her to and from school.

"... happy birthday to you..."

Nev and Harry wouldn't push her on the swingset at the park or sit with her under the crack willows.

"... happy birthday, Nev and Harry..."

Nev and Harry wouldn't watch movies with her once they were done with homework and chores.

"... happy birthday to you!"

The clock struck midnight, and Marley's world dimmed as Nev and Harry blew the candles out.