Hey everyone. This story was brought to you by Hogwarts Eastern Winter Funfair's Christmas Eve Boxes, Hogwarts Northern Winter Funfair's Build an Igloo, Hogwarts Southern Winter Funfair's Present Wrapping Station, and December Event's Advent Calendar on Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. For Christmas Eve Boxes I wrote for (Stage 4) What flavor is your Hot Chocolate? my prompt is Caramel "What are you doing?". For Build an Igloo I wrote for Layer 1 and the character of Nott Sr..For Present Wrapping Station I wrote for Step 5 Add a bow and a gift tag with the action of squealing. For Advent Calendar I wrote for Day 16's prompt of Genres and mine was Fluff. I hope you all enjoy Making a Snowman.
"Why don't you spend some time with our son?" Elizabeth Nott asked her husband one winter morning after breakfast. "He is only back from Hogwarts for about another week or so. He so wants to spend time with you dear."
"What do you expect me to do with the boy?" Theodore Nott Senior found himself asking his in exasperation.
"I don't know dear. Perhaps take him outside and build a snowman or something like that. Something a young boy would like to do." After a moment of silence she continued, "You were a young boy once upon a time after all. You should know what they like."
Footsteps on the stairs alerted both of them to Theo coming down the stairs. What was he supposed to do with his eleven year old son? They didn't share that many hobbies and the ones that they did Theo pretended not to like. This fact hurt the older Theodore more than anything because he'd always told himself he wasn't going to be like his father was to him.
"Good morning, Theodore," Elizabeth said bending to brush a kiss on their son's cheek. "How did you sleep, honey?"
"Okay," Theo answered not looking up from his plate.
"Don't you have something you want to ask Theodore, sweetheart?" Elizabeth turned her blue eyes on her husband putting her hands on her hips as though she could just stare her husband into submission.
"Perhaps we can do something after breakfast?" the older Nott suggested maybe they'd be able to find something they both wanted to do. "What do you want to do, son?"
Theo looked up from his plate in shock. It had been a long time since his father had actually suggested that the two of them actually do something together. Did he even know what Theo liked to do any more? Then it hit him like a bundle of bricks being dropped from above. A memory from the past.
"Do you want to build a snowman?" Theo asked his father.
After hearing his son ask if he wanted to build a snowman the memories of past winters came back to the elder Nott. The sounds of Theo squealing in excitement as they built the snowman higher and higher. Then the addition of the clothes and hat. He used to lift Theo up so the young boy could put on the eyes, nose and mouth. He didn't think he'd have to do that this time.
"Of course, son," he replied with a smile stretching his face.
Breakfast seemed to go faster today than any other day thus far and soon father and son were putting on their coats and boots to head out front. It struck the elder Nott as strange that he couldn't remember Theo smiling this much in a long time. Seeing his son smile again sent of surge of happiness shooting through the Death Eater.
"Let's get stated," Theodore Senior called out to his son beginning to form the bottom layer of the snowman.
"Okay," Theo called out beginning to work on the middle.
The two met each other in the middle of the yard and the older Theodore helped the younger one bring the snowman's middle piece up into place. Theo began to work on the top of the snowman when something cold and wet hit him in the back.
"What are you doing?" Theo screamed as the cold seeped in through his clothes.
"Starting a snow ball fight, boy," the father called out as he picked up another patch of snow and shaped it into a ball. "Think fast," he called as he lobbed the ball at his son who easily dodged the ball.
Placing the snowman's head into place The stooped down and gathered up his own hand full of snow shaping it into the perfect ball. He threw it at his father with great accuracy.
"You got me," cried out his father as though he'd just hit him with a curse. "You got me."
The sound of laughter floated into the house making a small smile form on the face of Elizabeth Nott. She was happy that her boys were getting along and hoped that they'd be able to continue to do so when she was no longer there to see it. Or help them get back to each other. But that is a story for a different time.
I hope you all enjoyed Making a Snowman.