Author's Note: Every 'Lion, Witch, Wardrobe' story I've ever read involves the Pevensies in Narnia. But what if...?
Disclaimer: Anything you recognize is not mine. All that belongs to C.S. Lewis.
The train ride to the Professor's house marked the beginning of a boring summer for the Pevensie children.
At the end, journeying back to their mother and the upcoming school year, none of them were quite sure what had happened, only that nothing really seemed to – there had been no jokes, no bombs in the night, no fun, no screams of fear, no real laughter. And on the train home, the nothingness seemed to have made an impact. They had all started drifting away from each other, the superficial familial bonds brought up for show, for adults, and a little for each other, but they all knew in their hearts that they weren't as close as they had been before.
With no frightening wails of alarms in the night, no terror etched onto their mother's face by lamplight, there had been no encouragement to grow closer. Indeed, the only growing the children had done was apart from one another. Susan had spent most of her time in the Professor's admittedly magnificent library, devouring book after book, attempting to distract herself into becoming a grownup, and in the end, she had succeeded. If Edmund and Peter had still joked, they might have said she had become a little like Mrs. Macready.
But they weren't really joking anymore, for Peter had spent most of his time outside, exploring the woods surrounding their temporary residence, eventually going so far as to not come inside for days at a time, even in the rain. Edmund, still stifling feelings of inadequacy towards all of his siblings, locked himself in a sullen empty room most days, dreaming of his father and how wonderful life would be when he came home.
Little Lucy, in despair of her brothers and sister, had actually managed to meet the Professor, under Mrs. Macready's disapproving eyes, and had spent the majority of her summer in his study, being entertained by his wild stories and dramatic voice. Late at night, tucked into bed with a silent Susan on the other side of the room, Lucy would close her eyes and wish that any of what the Professor said was true. She dreamed of dancing creatures and friendly laughter that never seemed real by light of day. She never mentioned any of her fantasies to her siblings.
And so, when their mother saw them once again, she exclaimed over how they had grown taller and how she hoped they had had a safe journey – and how they all seemed so much older.
Her children were silent.