Disclaimer: nothing you recognize in mine.

A/N: this was incredibly hard to write, and i think that will come through as you read it. It was a good challenge, and I hope it turned out well, but for the most part I would appreciate feedback. A couple rounds back we were told we had to come up with a hard prompt for our opposing team, and then this round they put it on us. Not a fan. Written for:

qlS4R11: catapults' beater 1: chosen setting (chuck e cheese) and starts and ends with the same word with optional prompts 1. "I'm bored...me!", 3. word count is 1089 (I based my count off of MS word, not including a/n's, title, anything else), 8. bounce; cinema comp ii: perfect storm: write about a death;

Halloween

That little voice was in her ear again.

"I'm bored. Play with me!"

Jennifer McMillen repressed a groan, turning to face her little girl. Sara was only three, and already a troublemaker, but she had been well behaved tonight. Tonight, it was all just a little too much.

As if on cue, there was a strangled cry from the stroller next to her. Now, Jennifer allowed herself a sigh as she reached down and took Daniel into her arms, letting him bounce up and down and cooing in his ear as he cried all the while. She looked at Sara and gestured to the baby in her arms.

"I have to watch your brother. You know that."

Sara threw up her arms in frustration, dislodging the fairy wings behind her back. It was Halloween, and with the baby, Jennifer didn't much feel like trick-or-treating, and Sara wasn't in school yet, so she wasn't missing out on much. Instead, Chuck E. Cheese's was having kids wear costumes for tickets, and it was even better since Jennifer knew this branch was run by wizards, was only for magical folk, and there would be nothing to worry about in the realm of Sara's accidental magic. Jennifer had spent Daniel's nap getting Sara decked in her fairy gear, much to her delight.

Jennifer giggled as her daughter yanked the wings back into place with an extra groan. They were far too much alike already.

"He'll be fine here. You can watch him from the jungle gym!"

"If I asked you to watch Daniel, would you leave him here and go play on the jungle gym?"

Sara shook her head and came close, letting Daniel, who had soothed considerably (thank Merlin), wrap his little fingers around hers. Jennifer knew this peace between her children was destined to be destroyed, so she was thankful while it lasted. "I just want you to play with me," Sara whispered.

Jennifer closed her eyes and breathed, trying not to let Sara's words get to her. She had been balancing the children the best she could; babies needed plenty of attention. And even if it was something that needed fixing, she could not leave her baby next to a table in a random second-rate children's restaurant. She brought her daughter close and kissed her head. "I know, sweetie." Jennifer looked at the fairy wings again and pulled out her wand, getting an idea. She touched her wand to the wings and muttered as a spell, smiling as they began to flutter, and beaming when Sara oohed and aahed. "Why don't you go show your wings to the other kids?" Jennifer pointed in the direction of the group in the ballpit about Sara's age, dressed as a cat and Quodpot player, respectively.

Sara stilled looked crestfallen at the idea of being turned away but relented after a few minutes. Jennifer felt her heart sink, but she could always make it up to her tomorrow. Robert would finally be home, and maybe she and Sara could have a girls' day out while her husband watched the baby. At the rate things were going, Jennifer might have to go back to work, and if that was the case Jennifer wanted to spend as much time with her children as possible before that happened.

Someone to Jennifer's left was attempting to make conversation with someone. It took Jennifer a couple minutes to realize that they were talking to her. "Hello," the woman said again, and Jennifer nestled Daniel against her before turning. "Hi. Having a good time?"

"Oh, the best. This is such a great deal they have."

Jennifer found her load lightening. Small talk; small talk she could handle.

"My daughter, too. That's her with the fairy wings." Jennifer pointed.

"Wow, nice spellwork. I can't do magic. My husband's the wizard. Almost died right when he told me. That's our son there…the – Quodpot? – player. He's so skeptical of places like this. He thinks people like me will just walk in and scare themselves half to death."

Jennifer laughed. "I'm a witch. My husband's the Muggle, actually. He pretty much had a heart attack, Merlin help him –" The woman was peering at her curiously, and Jennifer was about to blush before Daniel started to cry again. Jennifer sighed and hushed him, pulling him in trying to soothe him best she could.

The woman laughed. "Let me tell you, it only gets worse," she said, gesturing to her own son. "I'm Kathy, by the way.

"Jennifer."

"That's a neat accent. You're from England?"

It would be neat, Jennifer thought, if it wasn't for the reason they had moved. The threat there was growing stronger and stronger, and she and Robert had fled three years ago, just after Sara was born. She missed home like crazy, though. And she was scared Robert would resent her, moving away from his family for her safety. And Voldemort was powerful, he could always come here. "Yes," she said, instead.

Just then, the wireless set off consecutive beeps at the ticket counter. Jennifer was grateful for it. The background noise had kept her sidetracked all night. The American radio stations were double edged swords – she could keep up with what was going on at home, but never in her new country. Americans were far too concerned with everybody else's problems before even looking at their own.

"Breaking news in the UK – rumors of He-who-Must-Not-Be-Named are flying. Is he finally gone? Stay with us."

"That man is bad news," said Kathy from her left.

"You've no idea." Jennifer thought of her parents, of her friends at Hogwarts. A chill ran through her. She clutched Daniel a little tighter.

"Muggle police have reported a break-in at Godric's Hollow, Aurors have been called to begin correcting the scene," came the Wireless. "Two bodies were found – those of James and Lily Potter." Jennifer caught her breath. She knew James and Lily, from Hogwarts. Why would they have been killed? They were younger than her, and – hated each other, or so she thought. "The Potters are a prominent pureblood family, but no one knows why they may have been targeted otherwise. Sources tell us the Potters had a son, but the boy is nowhere to be found. Neither is He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."

Jennifer knew Dumbledore had taken up a fight – perhaps James and Lily had been on that team. Her heart sank for the boy. She clenched Daniel tighter. But if it's true – that boy had saved us all, and Jennifer was grateful for that.