A/N: This is a sort of companion piece to 'Scrupulously', which is on my page. This is a possible alternate ending for one of my stories, nothing permanent here, strictly for fun!
Serenity
Middle of October, so very close, but rather far away from Halloween two children about the age of six and seven ran about a large backyard, trying their best to rake a large pile of fall leaves. The wind blew softly against their exposed ears and two olden men, but young for their age sat down outside at a moderately sized wooden table that had faded over the years of snow and rain. Just as quickly a young man joined them, setting down his mug as they watched the children still attempting their endeavor, laughing playfully with each other while the wind blew a few more leaves off the trees.
"Don't forget to get those too!" Remus said jokingly.
"Aw man!" said the little boy as he sighed flopping his arms down at his sides.
Remus chuckled softly at the same time as Sirius and Harry shook their heads smiling, their laughter suddenly cutting across the pleasantly silent yard when more than half of the yard was abruptly covered in leaves by a well-blown breeze. The little girl laughed, her black hair nearly the length of her back just like her mother, caught in the wind, leaping in a graceful ark above her head as her friend mumbled something under his breath about making his father use his wand. The boy stuck his tongue out at his friend, his sandy-brown hair an untidy mess upon his head, very much like Harry's, part of it in the back never staying down no matter how much the child tried and he did try.
"Moony your son, Zack just stuck his tongue out at my daughter." Sirius said pretending to be affronted.
Remus chuckled, crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue out at Sirius in the same fashion as his son, Harry and Sirius breaking out into fits of laughter, while the children looked at them with raised eyebrows, whispering to each other. The two children laughing themselves, made the older men raise their own eyebrows and continue to laugh, knowing that they had more than likely made a comment on how they thought their parents and Harry were nutters.
"Dad said mum would have been out here doing stuff like this with us!" Zack smiled happily at the thought of his mother.
"Yeah, Aunt Hayden would definitely be out here," the little girl retorted. "but it would take us forever cuz she'd probably throw herself into the pile all the time!"
Sirius looked over to Remus as did Harry, knowing that despite the number of years, Remus still missed his wife that had passed in childbirth only six years ago, Zack truly lucky not to have had the Lycanthropy disease pasted on from his parents who both had it.
"You okay Lupin?" asked Harry watching the older man carefully.
"Yeah I'm fine." Remus smiled softly.
"Harry, Harry!! Come and toss us on here!!" the little girl smiled, waving to her father's godson and her mother's nephew.
"Ellie's calling." Sirius smiled broadly.
"Why me?" Harry grumbled jokingly as he got up.
"Cuz dad and Uncle Remus are too old!" Ellie declared laughing with Zack, happy to get a laugh out of Harry as he approached.
"Old?!" Sirius shouted standing. "I take that as an insult!"
Remus rolled his eyes watching his friend give chase after his daughter, scooping her up even as he tossed her over his shoulder and down into the overly large pile of fall leaves that Remus was smart enough to put a cushioning charm beneath.
"I can't think straight in here." Avril's voice unexpectedly carried out into the yard whilst she came out the back door of the house that sat just down the lane from the Weasley clan's Burrow. The woman having just returned from grocery shopping had been attempting but failing to sort out her potions from the groceries.
"Sorry, love." Sirius said, grinning broadly with their daughter and Zack lugged over his shoulders.
"Sorry." Remus smiled.
"Mummy you get us a treat?" Ellie asked while Harry took a seat on the swing that was attached to a rather large branch that sprouted from an even larger tree.
"Yeah, but I ate 'em on the way home." she replied shrugging her shoulders.
"Mum!" Ellie protested trying to wiggle out of her father's grip.
Sirius set them down and watched the two tear past Avril into the house and he laughed looking around the yards sudden abundance of leaves that exploded from the pile when Harry dumped Zack and Ellie into it. Harry stood and dusted himself off chuckling to himself and he and Sirius made their way back to the table, Harry grabbing his butterbeer and downing the rest in a hurried fashion.
"I'm gonna go and see if Ron wants to come for dinner," Harry said and upon seeing his families confused looks he explained, "he and Hermione had a row so he came back to the Burrow." he chuckled slightly, knowing his friends all too well.
"I'm not surprised," Ginny's voice floated out into the backyard from the kitchen window. "but you know if he comes so does Fred and George and that means Antoinette and Chloe."
"Then we might as well have dinner of at the Burrow!" Avril declared.
"No way! I just started cooking!" Ginny chided, furrowing her brow that could be seen from the kitchen window.
Sirius and Remus snorted into their butterbeer, sitting at the outside table, resulting in Avril punching their shoulders playfully.
"Alright we'll make more!" she said disappearing back into the house. "Go ahead Harry!"
Half an hour passed as the wind picked up, dancing the leaves across the yard, the small pond closes to the Burrow gaining most of the stray ones into its grasp while the sunset on the horizon and the feel of the season set in, as it should have. With Halloween in the distance, a favorite holiday for any wizard or witch their house was designed as should be. Dark and light orange lights twinkling about the roofs edge, Sirius having wanted to do it with magic was scolded by both Remus and Avril who instead opted for muggle lights made for the holiday. However, the rest of the houses designs were pure magic. Sirius managed to charm the front door knocker to bite someone if they attempted to use it and the door bell to tell the guest different things like for example if Snape had rang the doorbell it might have called him a slimy git with an unusually large nose who needed to bathe! Avril and Remus did not know about either, but most people just used the houses backdoor. Despite the Burrow and their home's seclusion, they had an awful lot of trick-or-treaters muggle and magical alike during that one night. The odd candy giving had gotten quite popular amongst the younger children.
Harry returned soon enough with Ron in tow along with Fred and George. Chloe and Antoinette followed behind the four talking to each other in whispers and hushed laughs.
The growing family laughed as they sat around the table waiting for dinner to be served, while the lights twinkled around the house, large pumpkins smiled in frightening expressions and a slightly larger than normal jet-black cat prowled the windowsill. One that might have looked through the window would see a family that had been created in the hardest of times and one that had survived despite everything.
In addition, one would see everyone piling their plates with food that had been laid out on the table!
A/N: I hope you enjoyed this as much as I did writing it. October is my favorite month because of Halloween and not to mention I love the fall! My favorite season!
- Reminder that this story is just a possible ending in my HP fanfiction story, but once again nothing permanent.
- I own all OC's: Hayden, Avril, Ellie, Zack, Chloe and Antoinette