A few of the balls remained after the dementor had successfully managed to vacuum the house, giving the children something to play with while Barty and his wife tried to figure out what had happened.
Draco and Harry started tossing a ball back forth. Newt was watching with a grin on his face as Pickett attempted to balance on top of a polka dot ball. Chastity had to be taken off to the side and comforted by the dementor, because the flood of toys had triggered a flashback, reminding her of the time she had been nearly suffocated under Mary Lou's leaves.
Credence had managed to sleep through everything, and was only half awake when Barty handed him his wand.
"We found that at the bottom of the ball pit," Barty explained. But Credence simply yawned, his chin lowering onto his chest as his eyes began to close.
The Obscurial was far too tired to process what had taken place. And when his mother came to take him home, Nagini was heard saying something about an avalanche of toys and how she wished they were pygmy puffs.
Gel was still trying to stuff yellow balls down the front of his pants when Tassie came to collect Newt and Albie. This caused a disturbance when Albie started sniffling and whining, saying that he wanted to play with the toys Grindelwald had shoved in his pants.
"Now Albie," Tassie began, scooping up her adopted son. "You can play with Gel's balls later. Right now it's time to go home, son."
This, of course, lead to a tantrum from the silver haired cat child, who ripped his pants off in a fit of rage, causing a shower of toys to spill onto the floor.
Draco and Harry each got to take one ball home, and were still laughing and playing when their parents arrived. Only Harry didn't throw a fit when his playmate was taken from him. He was far too busy chatting about toys, describing in great detail each and every ball he'd played with, right down to their size, shape, texture and color. He even told Cameron that one of them smelled like cheese.
Alecto was still in a daze after the toys were vacuumed off the floor. And after looking her over to make sure she wasn't bruised or injured, Barty summoned a jar of sequins from the craft supplies and stuck them to a shiny ball with a permanent sticking charm. He then thrust the ball into her hands before she could start screaming and crying for her mother.
"That's better," Barty soothed, patting her on the head while she placed the ball between her lips and proceeded to nibble on it. "You're alright, girl. You're alright." He glanced over his shoulder at his wife and mouthed the words, "She did this."
"You think I couldn't figure that out?" The dementor let out a tired sigh. "And from the looks of it, our new visitor must have picked up Credence's wand. Though I don't think he meant to cause any trouble. He's just a curious..." Her voice trailed off into silence, and both she and Barty turned their heads, watching as Quico happily tossed his square ball into the air. "Little boy," the dementor finished, not wanting to say the word Muggle.
Alecto was slobbering all over her newly aquired toy when Maisie and Amycus arrived. Or rather, when Amycus' tongue arrived. He had curled the drippy appendage around the doorknob, opening the door for his wife before following her into the building.
"And how is mommy's precious little baby angel?" Maisie asked, picking up her beloved daughter.
The shiny lover had little to say when Maisie spoke to her. She continued chewing on her new toy, giving Barty and his wife a look of unfathomable contempt.
"I see that you've got a new toy," Maisie continued, trying to elicit a response. "Did the dementor give that you?"
"Yes, of course I did." The dementor swept past, carrying a plastic baggie loaded with cookies and other sugary treats. She dangled this delightful little treat bag in front of Alecto. "I also got her these, because she was such a good girl today. Weren't you, Alecto?"
"Mine!" the adult baby screeched, snatching the bag of tasty treats from the dementor's hands.
Barty sighed and rolled his eyes, but didn't say a word. He just wanted this day to be over with.
"Hey, wait a minute," Quico piped up, tucking his ball under his arm and glaring at Barty. "How come she gets all kinds of snacks and candy but I don't? I'm the only one here who was brave enough to try and capture the witch. Don't I get a reward or points for effort or something?"
His last word came out sounding like an awful whine, and when Barty looked down the little boy was tugging on his jacket, twisting and yanking the dark leather until it threatened to split down the seams.
"Darling," Barty groaned helplessly, begging his wife to step in and rescue him from this Muggle child.
Not wanting to upset the little boy, the dementor did the only thing she could think of. She unfurled her emergency stash of Swedish fish and showered Quico in praise and candy.
Without even a word of thanks, Quico plopped down on the couch and started shoveling little packets of treats in his mouth. He was halfway through his eighth bag of Swedish fish when the doorbell rang.
Barty had barely opened the front door when Quico ran past, almost knocking him over in the process. This little whirlwind of a child was really testing his patience, causing him to grip the doorframe in order to stop himself from toppling over.
The Death Eater groaned, reaching up with one hand and holding his throbbing head. Quico had leapt into his mother's arms and was holding up his square ball, a wide grin on his face as he launched into an explanation of what had happened.
At first Barty just stood there listening to their conversation, leaning with his back against the doorframe while Quico showed her his new toy. He smiled and nodded when the lady with the curlers asked him questions, his eyes widening when Quico suddenly chirped, "And we even had a witch hunt, Mommy!"
Barty's heart momentarily lodged itself in his throat, and for a second he appeared to choke. But Florinda didn't think much of her son's wild and imaginative stories. As long as he was having fun, he could play any game that he wanted. Finally she bid them farewell and thanked them for taking such good care of her son. The door closed behind them, and Barty collapsed on the couch. His wife joined him a minute later, her cloaked form draped across the furniture like an old shawl.
"Do you think he realized that Alecto is a witch?" he asked, looking over at his exhausted wife. "Is that what started this whole bloody adventure? Because he did seem to have it out for her since the very beginning."
The dementor waved off his question. "No, of course not. He's just a child, Barty. How would he even know that Alecto is a witch?"
Barty shifted slightly, lifting one cheek off the couch while reaching for a discarded pair of pants his son had thrown onto the furniture. "All I'm saying is that it's rather unusual, don't you think?" He tugged on Gel's forgotten trousers, and eventually managed to pull them out from under his backside. "Looks like we still need to do some cleaning, love."
This wasn't exactly what the dementor wanted to hear. So was so tired. And when Barty held up their son's pants, his wife slid right off the couch and onto the floor.
"Mommy?" A small voice managed to force its way through the haze of exhaustion. "Mommy, is Quico going to come back soon? I think... I think he was kind of nice."
The dementor groaned, her hooded form stretched across the carpet. She was face down on the floor, looking for all the world like a limp tea towel. "What?" she muttered, lifting her head off the floor.
"He was... nice," Modesty said at length, the faintest of smiles curling her lips.
"If he returns, he will be allowed to play with the other children," Barty told her, nodding in response to her question. "However, he must be separated from Alecto and Credence at all times." He sighed heavily, running a hand through his hair. "If that boy realizes that she's a witch, all hell is going to break loose when he decides to have another witch hunt. That alone will trigger Dragon's son, who probably still has nightmares about the Second Salem lot. No offense, darling," he added, giving his daughter a very tired but loving smile.
Her smile widened, and Modesty nodded in understanding. She looked forward to seeing Quico again, preferably sooner rather than later. Until then, she would continue on with life as usual, carefully crafting an ornate leaf rubbing that she would save for the next time he came to visit.