October 3 1985
Five year old, pig tailed, Willow Danielle Rosenberg crouched down on the sand in the playground during recess at Kindergarten, in her new overalls and green t shirt watching as her bestest best friend in the whole world Xander Harris did his most amazing jump from the merry go round ever.
Or he was planning to once he let go.
He went around and around on it, the chubby little boy with his dirty red wranglers and gray t shirt clung on for dear life as the spinning went a little slower then a little slower with each turn.
"JUMP!" Willow called out as she waited.
Xander shook his head. "Not yet!" he yelled back.
Willow's little brow furrowed as she watched wanting to help her friend as she felt something build up inside her, she had felt it before but not like this. She let it go as she jumped up encouraging him by doing it herself. "JUMP!" she yelled again. He did. His eyes went wide as it seemed like someone pushed him from behind and he sailed through the air to land near her, his face making it into the sand first. She crouched down again and waddled over to her friend as he didn't move. "Xanther?" she asked, not fully wrapping her tongue around D's yet. "You okay?" she asked.
He groaned a little when she pushed him. So the tiny girl struggled to roll him over. She looked directly into his face as sand covered it. "Xanther?" she asked softly, her voice lilting up worried about him.
Xander opened his eyes to see her. "I jumped," he told her.
She nodded. "You went far," she said and they looked to see that he had made it a total of two feet which was really far when you're five.
He smiled as he sat up and blood began to run from his nose. Willow paled; Xander didn't realize he was bleeding. He wiped his nose on the back of his hand. "I can do it again," he said with a smile wanting to impress his friend.
"Blooth, blooth!" Willow said with a scream dancing around in a panic as the teacher on duty came running. Xander looked to the blood on his hand in awe.
"Xander, again?" the teacher said as Willow grabbed the teacher's pant leg and hid her face from the sight of the blood. The boy was known for getting hurt, while Willow just watched in fascination.
"I jumped from the go-round all by myself!" he said loudly and quite proudly as the teacher got a tissue and held it to his nose to help stop the bleeding.
"Yes you did, let's get you to the nurse," she said as she unwrapped Willow from her leg. "You can come too, Willow."
Willow did bravely holding Xander's hand, but not the one with blood on it.
April 17 1987
Willow sat in the Harris's living room watching a dismal looking Xander. It was his seventh birthday and he hadn't gotten what he wanted. The fire truck they saw in the toy store when her mommy took them by there. Willow's mommy said it was too much money when Willow wanted to get it for him. Willow scowled as she looked to Xander's mother, Mrs. Harris.
Willow's mommy called her a lush. She wasn't sure what that was but it had to do with fancy plants. She looked it up in her daddy's big dictionary set in his study. Mrs. Harris didn't look like a plant and they didn't have any in the house.
Willow sat down by Xander who looked to his coloring set from her and a toy airplane from Jesse. "I'm sorry," Willow said to him.
Xander shrugged dejectedly. "It's okay," he told her glumly. He was used to it.
"I will find you a fire truck," she told him. "A big one."
He smiled her way a little. "Real big?"
She nodded as she looked to Xander's dad talking to some woman at the house next door. She and Xander had spied on them once, and seen them doing a disgusting thing, kissing. Then Xander got sad. It wasn't Xander's mommy that his daddy was kissing. She set her eyes on the woman who walked back into the other house as the doorbell rang at the Harris's.
Jesse answered the door; it was his 'thing'. He wanted to be a doorman at a hotel where he could pet the dogs that came through and they gave you money just for holding the door open.
Sheila Rosenberg came in and looked to the house as Mrs. Harris got up from the couch with a drink in hand. Willow watched her mommy, she knew her mommy didn't like Xander's house. It wasn't very clean, and they didn't have nice things like Willow's house did. "Sheila," Mrs. Harris said as she came over.
Willow's mommy looked disapprovingly at her too. Mrs. Harris was dressed in an old housecoat over her ratty work uniform for a local supermarket deli. Willow's mommy was in a dress suit from work. She was a thinker, she made people think. Apparently it was a big deal. Willow wanted to be a monster like the one she saw in the alley the other night as her daddy drove them home from dinner at a fancy restaurant. It was all glowy eyed and scary, but then it left by jumping up to a rooftop. She told her parents but they smiled and liked her imagination telling her it was good for her to pretend.
"Jessica," Sheila replied trying to disguise the distastefulness evident in her eyes. "Thank you for inviting Willow to Xander's birthday party."
Jessica nodded not really caring. "Sure thing," she replied as she looked to the children. "Xander loves his gifts, don't you?"
Xander nodded and Willow didn't look happy again. She hugged Xander hard. "I'll get your truck," she promised him.
Willow stood and went to her mommy who took her hand. "Did you thank Mrs. Harris for letting you come?" her mommy asked her.
Willow looked up to Mrs. Harris. "Thank you," she told her. Mrs. Harris nodded again and the two turned to leave.
Jesse had his hand held out as he still held the door open waiting for his tip. Willow's mommy took out a dime and put it in the boy's hand. "Thank you!" Jesse said happily. "Bye Willow."
"Bye," Willow replied. "Bye Xander!" she called out.
"Bye," Xander said.
Willow got into the car and her mommy made sure she was buckled in tight. Willow looked to the neighbor's house again as that little feeling grew inside her. She looked to the house and wished it would burn so Xander could get his fire truck. Willow's mommy pulled out and headed for their neighborhood a mile away.
"Did you have a nice time?" her mommy asked.
Willow nodded, not seeing the flame that came from the basement up into the first floor of the neighbor's house. She heard about it from an excited Xander at school the next day.
December 12 1987
"I think you should come for Christmas, Remus," Molly Weasley said as she put a kettle on in her kitchen at the Burrow. Remus looked like a shell of his former self. His eyes were hollow and he was painfully thin.
Remus shook his head as Arthur spoke up. "Yes, why not?" he told their friend. "You've been so busy you've never even met the children."
"Albus told me you finally have a daughter," Remus said avoiding the question as he took a cup of tea from Molly. She set a plate of sausages, bacon, eggs, fried tomatoes and toast by him and one to her husband.
The Weasley's smiled at this. "Ginevra, or Ginny as the boys have been calling her. She's six now," Molly said.
Remus nodded as he looked to his tea and sipped on it. It was silent for a while. Molly had taken the seat across from him and gently put her hand on his arm. "One day, Remus, you'll find her."
Remus nodded as he set his cup down. "How's Harry doing?" he asked.
Arthur and Molly both made faces. "Poor boy's only seven and those who watch over him say he's not getting the best of treatment from that woman," Molly said as she got angry.
"Husband's worse," Arthur stated.
"It's HIS aunt Arthur, blood relative!" Molly chided him. "She should be loving that boy like her own!"
Arthur patted her hand. "Albus has to know what's right for him," he said. "What with Sirius in Azkaban."
Remus's jaw tightened. Sirius Black, best friend to him, James and Peter. Only to find out the blood of James and Lily were on his head! Harry's godfather for Merlin's sake, just as he was to Willow! He sighed and looking put out with himself.
"Oh Remus," Molly said, they both probably knew what he was thinking. "You didn't fail him or Lily," she told him. "You'll find her, and one day little Willow and Harry will be back together." She patted his hand. "You'll see."
Remus let out a sigh. "I pray you're right, Molly," he replied.
There was the sound of children's laughter coming toward the house. "That'll be the twins, Ron and Ginny," Molly said. "Do stay and meet them."
Remus shook his head. "Too many questions." He stood and kissed her hand and nodded to Arthur. "Thank you my friends."
"Be careful," Arthur told him.
He nodded at that and headed for the fireplace. The children came in to see a tall man leave through the floo. "Who was that mum?" Fred asked.
"An old friend of your father and mine," Molly said standing and with her wand whisking away Remus's untouched plate. "Wash up for biscuits and milk." Molly and Arthur looked to each other as the children ran for the bathroom. Both of them looked worried.
To Be Continued…
