Lily stepped off the bus and waited for Ddraig to get off. The pair looked around the street. Lily felt her heart flutter as she saw the neat rows of houses standing in a long line. Each house had a small front garden that was bare of any signs of life.
Ddraig looked closely at the young girl in front of him, she reminded him in so many ways of Branwen and this was just another way in which the pair were now similar. He saw her eyes scan the street and then come to rest on the house on the end.
Lily's eyes landed on the end house. She could see that the blinds were still closed and it seemed empty of any life. No cars blocked the gate and slowly she felt tears fill her eyes. She moved closer to the house aware that Ddraig was behind her.
Lily stopped at the gate as her mind wondered to a warm day at the beginning of the summer.
Lily ran out of the front door Petunia yelling about her eating her apple. Laughter floated through her lips as her eyes landed on a pot next to the fence. Moving closer to it Lily saw navy colour within it. A voice from behind disrupted her thoughts of picking it up and throwing it over her sister's head.
"Lily dear why don't you go put on your old playing clothes and come help me paint the fence"
"Yes mum"Lily had run back to her room and thrown on an old pair of jeans and a T-shirt that she hated. Then went back to the front garden and sat with her mother.
The pair had spent a fun afternoon together painting the crisping metal fence and gate, throwing paint at each other, so that by the time they had finished Lily was full of paint and her red hair had turned streaky with blue.
Lily felt tears flow into her eyes at the thought of this memory. She reached her hand out and lifted the clasp on the gate allowing it to swing in onto the path. She took a step towards the front door as her eyes landed on a small gnome in the corner holding a fishing rod over the pond.
"Happy Mother's Day!"
Lily smiled up at her mother holding her card out to her. She smiled as her mother took it from her and pulled the card out of the envelope. It was at that moment Petunia walked in.
"Mother I've made you breakfast."
"Oh that's so great Pet, what have you made?"
"There's bacon, egg, beans and toast. Plus your cup of tea two sugars and a splash of milk."
"Just the way I like it."
Lily climbed onto the bed next to her mother and squashed herself under the warm covers placing her ice cold feet on her mother's legs. Petunia sat on the edge of the bed watching her mother open her card.
They waited for her to eat the breakfast and then Lily grabbed her mother's hand.
"Mum come look at your present"
"Okay dear, give me a minute."
"No mum come now!"
Lily pulled her mother out of bed and dragged her down the stairs towards the front door, Petunia unlocked it and the three stepped outside. Petunia lead the way to the corner and pointed to the floor
"Mum, this is our present to you."
Lily watched her mother closely as tears began to fall down her face. In the corner was a pond filled with multicoloured fish of all sizes. Lily smiled as her mother hugged her before pulling Petunia into a hug.
"Dad told us about grandpa's old pond and how you loved the fish."
Lily smiled up at her mother as the three stood together each lost in their own thoughts of grandpa John and his fish.
Lily sniffed as she turned away from the gift; it hurt to look at it. While she had been standing there lost in her memories Ddraig had passed her and was standing by the door.
Lily gasped as the door opened and Petunia looked out, her eyes were red and puffy from crying and the sight of her usually strong sister was the last straw for Lily, tears flooded through her emerald eyes as she sniffed harder than before.
Without waiting Lily pushed passed Ddraig and grabbed her sister. Her face buried into her shoulder as fresh tears pushed through the barrier.
Taliesin looked at the scene in front of him he felt he was intruding as he watched the sisters, although he noticed the awkwardness of the elder before she hugged Lily allowing the younger to cry freely as she just looked on.
Taliesin turned to leave when he heard a strained voice call out to him
"Thank you for bringing Lily home."
He looked and meet the other mans eye. He was unsure of what to say as tears came to the man's eyes.
He saw the older daughter release Lily as she turned and hugged her father. He saw Lily look uneasy at the pair unsure of what to do, Taliesin did what he thought was right went up behind the younger and hugged her, feeling the tears rubbed against his shirt.
The four sat in the living room each very quiet. Lily felt the need to disappear and so without a word left the group and ran to her room where she continued with the tears. The phone ran and the other girl Petunia left to answer that.
Taliesin felt at unease as if he had forced himself onto the grieving family. He wanted to leave and go and hug Branwen, hold her close to him. He heard the voice of the other man again
"Thank you for taking care of Lily and bringing her back to me."
"That's all right."
There was an awkward silence while the man wiped his eyes. He looked at a photo of his family and then spoke again
"I miss her, I can't believe she's gone."
"I understand, its difficult to begin with but it will get easier with everyday, and she isn't really gone you can see her in the girls."
The pair looked at each other
"You're Taliesin right?"
He smiled at the man as he nodded.
"You sound like you understand."
"Yes Mr Evans I do. I lost my wife twelve years ago."
"Dudley, call me Dudley. I still can't get it to stick, I keep expecting Jasmine to come walking through the door at any moment."
"It's like that to begin with but trust me it will get better. She looks a lot like Lily they have the same features although I can see Lily has your eyes."
"Yeah. Taliesin how did your wife die?"
"She died because it was her time. She had a complicated pregnancy with our daughter Branwen and we were lucky that she lived long enough to give birth. It was a horrible labour and she lost all strength. She lived long enough to name Branwen and hold her."
A single tear fled Taliesin's eyes
"She was beautiful. Branwen looks so much like Gwenhwyfar, I see her everyday in my Caried and I know she is still alive and that she will never leave."
"But it's still hard."
"It will always be hard to know that the woman you love is no longer with you, but a great man told me that death was the next great adventure and that we will all be united again one day."
The two fell silent as Petunia entered the room again.
"Grandpa Evans' is on his way down with uncle Tony, they'll be here by eight tonight."
The Evans' exchanged looks as Taliesin got to his feet.
"I should be going"
"Thank you Taliesin, will you be coming to the funeral?"
"Of course Dudley. A small group of students close to Lily may wish to attend, you won't mind if I bring them do you?"
"That will be okay Taliesin, the date is the 28th"
Taliesin nodded as he said goodbye. Then with a pop he had left the house and was back in Hogsmeade heading back up to the school.