Hey everyone. This story was brought to you by Yearly Event's Herbology Hangout, and Bi-monthly January's Pop Figure Collection Club on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Herbology Hangout I wrote for Step one the sign up fic. For Pop Figure Collection Club I wrote for Spiderman - Peter Parker's prompts of Peter Parker - (word) adorable, Web - (Trait) intelligent, Suit - (action) falling, and Backpack - (object) backpack. Warning for mentions of character death. I hope you all enjoy Dennis's Life.
"They always used to call your Uncle Colin an adorable baby," Dennis Creevy told his young daughter as she sat on his lap holding onto a picture album. "I was always jealous about this fact. It used to embarrass your uncle to no end when our parents would say that in front of their friends." He flipped open the album to the first page.
On the page was a photo that looked faded at the edges as though from much handling. The photo was a stationary one. Not like the wizarding ones his family were used. The photo was of a newborn baby with a bunch of light blonde peach fuzz at the top of his head. A smile was stretched across the newborn's face or so Dennis and Colin always told themselves. But it was the smiling blue eyes that made you want to be near this newborn.
"That's uncle Colin as baby, dad?" asked Sophia looking up at him blue eyes that were much like his own.
"Yes," Dennis told her quickly turning the page to go the next photo in the bunch. He didn't want to dwell on the thought of a baby Colin. He half regretted bringing the book out at all.
"Is that outside of my kindergarten class? I didn't know you went to Muggle school before going to Hogwarts, Daddy." A slight pause occurs before the four year looks up curiously. "Can I go to Muggle school before Hogwarts too?"
It floors Dennis that his daughter would sound almost afraid to ask him about this. He would never say no to either of his children. Ever. He looks over as his wife walks in holding their newborn son, who they've named after his brother, Colin. "I'll have to talk about that with your mother," he tells his daughter looking down on the picture of his five year old brother standing outside his kindergarten class with a backpack slung over his shoulder.
A smile crosses the child's face as she races over to her mother and jabbers away about how she wants to go Muggle before Hogwarts and Dennis can't help but smile too. He and Colin didn't know they were wizards when they first got their Hogwarts letters. So of course they were all signed up for Muggle school when they had gotten their letters. He smiled down at Colin's unmoving face in the picture on Platform 93/4. It was the last non-moving picture in the album. It was his favorite because it was the most happiest he'd ever seen his intelligent, bright, brilliant brother in both their lifetimes.
"Why don't you let Daddy and I discuss it tonight?" he heard Ashley ask their daughter. "Then we'll decided it you can go to Muggle school before you get your Hogwarts letter."
Sophia was nodding when Dennis looked up from the book in his lap.
"It's getting pretty late, Denny. Why don't you help me get the children ready for bed?"
Putting the photo album aside for the night he took the hand of intelligent lovable daughter and let her lead him up to her room. Upon entering he found her little pjamas all laid out on her bed the way Colin used to lay out his clothes. He'd never thought about how much his little girl was like the big brother he'd lost all those years ago.
"I'll be right back, Daddy," Sophia said pushing past him with her little jammies clutched to her chest. "I'm going to the bathroom to change for the night."
Such a Colin thing to do, he found himself thinking as he looked over towards the bedside table. Sitting on the bedside table was the story book they'd just started reading a week ago. It was a book of fables that used to belong to Colin and it strikes him as odd that he doesn't remember giving Sophia the book. His mother must have bought another one for Sophia.
#############################################################################################
After putting little Sophia to sleep and discussing the subject of her going to kindergarten with his wife Dennis finds sleep. He dreams. He dreams he's back at the Battle of Hogwarts even though he was evacuated with the rest of the younger. He knows he didn't go back in like Colin did so he knows this isn't a normal dream. It's almost like he's seeing things from Colin's point of view in the dream.
Death and destruction were all around him. People were crying out for help. A part of the build was crumbling around him but he had to get outside and follow Harry Potter. He had to. He's running after Harry towards the unknown when something hits his back.
Then he feels the cold. He thinks it's from the dementors not to far away and approaching but that thought is dashed when he sees that his friends have cast their Patronus charms. That should chase away the effects of the dementors. Shouldn't it? And then he's falling. Not one of those falls where it's fast and over with easily.
In Dennis's mind it felt like he'd been falling forever when his wife finally managed to shake him awake. He tells her not worry and to go back to sleep. But he can't even take his own advice. He gets out of bed carefully and trudges softly downstairs so as not wake Ashley up. He'll stay up most of the night perusing the photo album until sleep takes him over again.
I hope you all enjoyed Dennis's Life.