A/N: This story was written for The Houses Competition, Year 3, Round 3.
House: Gryffindor
Year: Head Girl
Category: Standard.
Prompts: Additional Requirement: Love conquers all. 9. [Creature] or [Animal] Snail.
Word count: 1496 words (written on Google docs)
Betas: Thank you to the amazing Aurora (Aurora-Star-Merry-Harry-Ricci), Lynne (Inlibris), and Shiba (Shiba-Lyfe) for beta'ing!
I dedicate this story to (and I hope this isn't a spoiler hehe) Lynne, the newest moderator at The Golden Snitch Xx
This story is yet another dealing with the death of Colin's mother (it's actually not confirmed that she did die in canon, and is more implied, so tentatively labelling as AU just in case). When I re-read it now, I regret that I had to cut out a lot of detail for the word count, but I hope that the rough idea came through (i.e. that his mother's love, as well as his father's, brother's, and his own self-love, could help him cope with such a tragedy by recognising his value). It still sounds better in my head though :')
Nevertheless, I do hope you enjoy it, and although I've been lucky enough to not lose anyone to cancer or any other illness (well, I have, but not a parent), I hope its... tasteful? enough in what a child may feel in the aftermath (that is, the anger/ self-blame stage). Colin himself never seemed like a character that would be too mean or violent, but given the circumstances, I hope his characterisation is plausible. And better yet, that it all comes through without having had to read this note :')
Thank you for reading! Xx
Just Like a Snail
There was no way he was going back inside—ever. Through tear-filled eyes, Colin glared at the people beyond the glass sliding doors, daring them to give him another sympathetic smile or hug that said 'everything will be alright.'
It wouldn't be alright; it never would be.
Tugging at the itchy tie around his neck, the eleven-year-old plonked himself down on the garden retaining wall. It seemed that life wasn't done messing with him, though, for no sooner did he place his hands on the wall did his palms brush against something slimy.
Looking down, he saw a silvery trail glinting in the sunlight. It travelled along the wall, all the way to the culprit: a small, brown snail.
Colin glared at the offending creature as he wiped his hands on his black trousers. It was ridiculous that he had once thought of snails as interesting specimens. They were useless, really; all they did was leave behind messy paths.
One year earlier...
"You can't catch me!" Colin ran across the yard and into the kitchen, Dennis at his feet.
"No! Not my clean floor!"
He soon froze, though, causing Dennis to almost run into him.
"Just look at the mess!" His mother's eyes flashed as she pointed down at the tiles where he had tracked in muddy shoe prints.
"Sorry, Mum," he said, glancing back up at her.
Normally, she would've laughed and called them rascals, but today, like every day that week, she seemed to only be capable of shouting. "I'm far too tired to spend all day cleaning," she said.
Their father looked up from his newspaper, a highlighter poised in the air. He gave her a small smile as he said, "Sorry, love, but I'm still searching for work."
She sighed again, grabbing the mop. "Never mind, I'll do it."
Colin watched as she cleaned, his cheeks burning. Still, when she nudged him with the mop to leave, he ran back outside with Dennis.
His mother had had every reason to be angry; she must've been tired long before any of them had found out what was wrong.
Colin watched as the snail continued moving along the wall. It had only progressed just a few centimetres since he had sat down. He sighed and wiped his sleeve across his eyes, knowing he was just as slow.
Six months earlier...
Colin paced up and down the living room. His father had promised to buy him some new film after his mother was finished at the hairdresser's, and he couldn't wait to start taking more pictures.
"Where are they?" he asked.
Dennis shrugged and continued playing with the set of toy cars their parents had bought him. Colin had thought it odd that his brother had also been given a present—after all, the camera he had received was a gift for getting into the magic school—but he supposed they simply didn't want Dennis to feel left out.
Colin sighed, but soon, a wide grin soon spread across his face as he spotted the old Volvo pull up.
"Did you get it? Did you get it?" he asked as his parents came in.
His father held up a plastic bag and winked. "I managed to get three rolls, but use them careful—"
"Thanks, Dad!" Colin grabbed the film and slotted it into his camera. Clicking the old machine forward to the first free slot, he then held the camera up. "Okay, now I want a family photo!"
His mother shook her head. "Not today, Colin."
Her eyes were red, as was the tip of her nose. She fiddled with the scarf wrapped around her head.
"Oh… Did the hairdresser do a bad job again? Did she cut too much off?" he asked. He then gave her a bright smile. "It doesn't matter; you still look pretty to me."
His mother glanced at his father, who cleared his throat. "Why don't you and I go take some photos of the neighbourhood so you can show your new classmates?" he said, ruffling his hair.
Colin didn't need to be asked twice; within a second, he was putting on his boots.
He should've known that the camera and toy cars were compensation. He should've also been more sensitive to his mother's illness.
The snail had finally moved onto the garden bed, attaching itself to a leaf of one of his mother's roses. All it seemed to care about was eating. It didn't seem too worried about how selfish it was being by destroying the entire plant in the process.
Three months earlier...
Now that he knew his mother was sick, Colin had promised he would be more responsible. It was actually quite exciting being given such an important task as fetching some groceries by himself.
He clutched the paper bag to his chest tightly, his camera swinging from a strap on his arm. As he passed the Munson's house, his eyes lit up. There, sitting on the lawn, was their new Alsatian.
Colin put the grocery bag down and quickly got his camera ready. Animals always made the best subjects, and with the Munsons usually keeping their dog inside, he felt like he'd struck gold.
The dog thumped its tail as he clicked the shutter over and over again. The best shot, however, was when Colin managed to capture the dog sneezing.
With his heart beating fast, he ran the rest of the way home to show his mother.
"GuesswhatIjustphotographed!" he said as soon as he entered his parents' bedroom.
"Slow down, Colin," his mother said.
Colin beamed at her. "I got to see the Munson's new dog and—oh, I need to go down to the shops to get the pictures processed."
His mother chuckled. "Maybe tomorrow. Did you pack the groceries away?"
Colin looked down. In all his excitement, he had forgotten to pick up the grocery bag. "I may have misplaced them…"
"Oh, Colin," she said.
When he looked up at her, his eyes watering, he was surprised that she still had a small smile on her face.
She patted the bed. "You just need to be more careful. Now, why don't you tell me about this dog?"
Why was everyone so nice to him when he always messed up?
Colin walked over to the snail. When he picked it up, it cowered within its shell.
He shook his head. The creature was stupid and naive enough to think that such a fragile shell would protect it from getting hurt. He should make it learn the hard way, just like he had.
One week earlier...
"We're home!" his father said.
"What did the doctor say?" Colin asked his mother as soon as she shut the front door.
She glanced at his father before giving him a small smile. "Well, he agrees we should all do something fun. How about a picnic?"
Colin's heart rose and he jumped in the air. Turning to Dennis, he gave his brother a hug and spun him around. Their mother was cured! She was cured!
"I'll go fetch my camera!" he said, running up the stairs.
He was glad he did, for the park they went to was even more beautiful than he could imagine. Butterflies, trees, flowers—there was so much to capture and so little time.
His mother was even willing to take a picture, despite the fact that she still wore a scarf. She made them all pose nicely for the photographs, having asked a nice old couple to take some pictures with Colin in them.
It was a perfect day, and by the end of it, his cheeks hurt from smiling so much.
The snail quivered as he held it beneath his fingers. Really, it should've known its safe haven could easily be shattered.
"The little blighter's still at it?" a voice asked.
Colin turned around to see his father. His blue eyes were watery, and there were a few wet splotches on his suit.
Colin sniffed and shrugged. "They're useless creatures."
His father reached out and took the snail from him. "Your mother didn't seem to mind them. In fact, she was quite grateful to them for eating the weeds," he said, placing the creature on a dandelion.
It took a moment, but soon the snail came out of its shell and started munching on a leaf.
"See? They're slow, but they get there in the end."
Colin's eyes grew blurry again, and he blew his nose into his sleeve. "I should've done more…"
"Perhaps I should've, too. But your mother loved you, and she knew you tried your hardest."
"I was useless…"
His father shook his head. "Your brother and I could use your help now. I wouldn't mind seeing some of those photographs you took."
As he glanced at the snail chewing on the weed, Colin nodded. He may not have been useful to his mother, but she had still loved him; now, he would do everything he could to be useful to his father and brother.