Quidditch Leather and Vanilla

I suppose it would have been different if they hadn't died in the War. What am I talking about? Of course it would have been different. I wouldn't have had to live with Uncle Paddy and Aunt Heather until I was 8. But you can't really say I lived there; Uncle Paddy was such a shell of a man that he was never really there, mentally, I mean. Aunt Angelina said it was because he never forgave himself for Mum's death. Either way, she and Uncle Fred didn't want me staying with them, so I spent most of my time at their house. That is, until I moved in with them.

Aunt Heather never knew my parents, so getting over their deaths was not a problem for her. Uncle Paddy, on the other hand, is still, to this day, mourning Mum.

I always felt like I was in the way at their house; Uncle Paddy never talked to me much and I always thought he would break or something so I tried to stay away from him. And Aunt Heather had her own children to take care of.

Maybe that's why I love it with Aunt Angelina and Uncle Fred so much; they never had children and they always make me feel like I'm the most special person in the world. I was always 'Baby Becca' to them and they made it seem like I was their everything. Aunt Angelina says she was trying to do Mum justice, because she knew that's how she would be as a Mum. I, in all honesty, don't know how they do it. Mum and Dad were their best friends, yet every day they are able to live with the reminder that they're gone. Aunt Alicia tells me that she sees Dad in me, but that I look like Mum. I'm so thankful I have them ... Mum and Dad really couldn't have picked better friends, or better people to take care of me.

I was at Aunt Alicia and Uncle George's house the other day and I came across this picture. I haven't cried about my parents' death in a long time, but after looking at that picture I couldn't hold back the tears. They were all in Hogsmeade; Mum and Dad were making goo-goo eyes at each other, Uncle George was trying to get Aunt Alicia to put his scarf on, and Aunt Angelina was saying something to Uncle Fred that made him blush the color of his hair. They all looked so carefree; like nothing could ever, would ever hurt them. That was, of course, back at Hogwarts, before the war.

After Hogwarts, they both went to play for Pudlemere United. Uncle Paddy played with them as well. Dad was the best Keeper they ever had and Mum was the greatest chaser in the history of Quidditch. They took Pudlemere to the World Cup and won it all 4 years they were on the team.

I was born a year before the war started; I was only one and a half when they died. The war ended two days after they died. Sometimes I catch myself wishing they could have held on just three more days. But it's foolish to wish such things.

Although, I do like to know them, as best I can anyways. Their friends (Aunt Angelina, Uncle Fred, Aunt Alicia, and Uncle George) tell me lots of things about them. How Dad always smelled like Quidditch leather and how much Mum smelled like Vanilla. How he hated when she would want to dance in the rain because she'd get sick, but both of them would end up having a fabulous time anyways. How they would always go to Mum's house, at least one day every Christmas break, and build a snowman in the front yard. But usually, it didn't end up getting finished because Dad would start a snowball fight and they'd get called in before they had a chance to stop throwing snowballs and finish the snowman.

They told me how whenever Dad wanted Mum to do something, he'd say her full name, Katherine Anne Bell, in a really soft, pleading voice and she'd have no choice but to agree. How Mum was the only one who could ever calm Dad down after they lost a Quidditch match, or after a practice didn't go well.

I used Uncle Fred's Pensieve once, and I saw Mum and Dad playing Wizard's Chess. Mum was so funny; she sat there and stared at the board the whole time, with the tip of her tongue peaking out the side of her mouth. Dad, on the other hand, watched her for the most part, grinning the entire game. That's not the only Pensieve journey I've taken, not even the most memorable, but it was special in its own right.

My favorite memory is of their wedding. Mum was wearing this brilliant gown that made her look like a princess. Dad on the other hand, resembled a penguin in his tux, but looked handsome nonetheless. Aunt Angelina was her maid of honor and Uncle Paddy was the best man. All the bridesmaids were dressed in a long, strapless lavender gown, the exact same gown I'm using in my own wedding. I'll be wearing Mum's dress too. I was so happy when I found out that Aunt Angelina had kept it all these years. She told me that Mum would have wanted me to wear it.

Now that I'm on the subject of my wedding; I can't help but wish it was Dad that was walking me down the aisle next week, instead of Uncle Fred. But I do love Uncle Fred, and I know he's honored that I asked him. I had a terrible time deciding between him and Uncle George, but considering the fact that Uncle George has two daughters of his own and Aunt Angelina and Uncle Fred practically raised me, he deserved it more. I miss them so much; everything would be so much simpler if they were here. I wouldn't have had to go to court and tell them whom I wanted to live with and then fight the Ministry when they denied my request. There would be no contemplating who would walk me down the aisle, because there would be only one option; Dad, and a good option at that. But there's no use wishing things like that.

I remember when I was 11; I was really missing my Mum and Dad. That was my lowest, but somehow Uncle Fred and Uncle George managed to pull me out of it. Who knew they could be so kind and compassionate behind their prankster masks. It was just before I got my Hogwarts letter and I was sure I wasn't going to get one. My adolescent brain decided that Professor Dumbledore didn't want me there to remind him and everyone else of my parents. That's why I never spent much time with Dad's family. I caught Grams saying how much it hurt her when I was around, once. She never found out that I heard her, but it hurt all the same. Eventually, Aunt Angelina pulled it out of me.

Flashback

"Becca, what's wrong?!" Angelina sat down next to her goddaughter, stroking her back.

"Nothing," the little girl said with a sniffle.

"Rebecca Anne Wood, you tell me what's wrong right now."

"I heard Grams ... she said I hurt her!" Becca wailed. Confused, Angelina gathered the little girl up in her arms, rocking her back and forth slowly.

"What do you mean, you hurt her?"

"S-she said w-when she s-sees m-me she sees Dad!" Becca burst into a fresh round of tears.

"Oh, Baby Becca. Look at me." Angelina placed a finger beneath the child's chin, forcing her to look her in the eye. "You are a beautiful young woman. Just because your Grams can't live with the fact that your Dad's gone, it is in no way your fault. I see your Mum and your Dad in you every single day. I think it's a blessing; they were the best friends a person could have and now, they've entrusted me to take care of their only daughter." Becca started to smile at how her godmother made it sound like such a privilege to be her guardian. "I wouldn't be doing their memories justice if I let you believe it was a bad thing to remind someone of your parents. Your dad was a great man. He loved his family and friends, but more importantly he loved you and your Mum with everything he ever had." Angelina shook her head slightly; Oliver would have made the best father a person could ever hope for, there was no doubt in her mind about that. "He was funny, smart, and kind, not to mention his brilliant Quidditch skills. It is no shame to remind someone of him." Rebecca sniffed and wiped away a few of the tears that still lingered on her cheeks.

"And you Mum. Oh! Your Mum!" Angelina's face lit up thinking about Katie. "She was ... Merlin, she was indescribable." Just then, Fred made his presence known, but Angelina and Rebecca were unaware of the fact that he had been listening to their entire conversation. He'd heard Rebecca crying and came to see what was wrong, but Angelina got their first.

"Katie was spirited and independent. She had control over your Dad like no other mortal." Angelina laughed and nodded her agreement as Fred sat down behind Rebecca on the porch. The two girls shifted slightly so as to see Fred better.

"Beautiful too. If I didn't know her better, I would have expected her to try and snatch up your uncle here." Fred waved his hand dismissively, shaking his head.

"Nah, Katie only had eyes for one man, and she married him. Besides, she was the best friend you could wish for." Fred brushed a stray piece of hair out of Rebecca's face. "Bloody hell, if it weren't for her, your godmother and I probably wouldn't be together. Neither would George and Alicia."

"She did that?" Angelina and Fred laughed at the inquisitive, awe-struck expression on Rebecca's face.

"Yup! She fixed the two of us up, with the help of your dad, George, and Alicia." Angelina smiled fondly at the memory. "And smart! Oh was she ever brilliant!" ............

Back to the Present

That's the best description I've ever had of my parents, not some store-bought, biographical nonsense. The real stuff. How their friends saw them. How they really were. They've been written up in all the history books of course. The Quidditch ones for taking Pudlemere to the Cup and breaking all sorts of records. And the ones about the war, as well. They had a huge impact on the outcome of the war, despite the fact that they didn't live to see the effects of that impact.

I guess I could have been bitter towards them for leaving me, but I know it wasn't their choice. I could have searched out the Death Eaters who killed them, but I think Azkaban for life is a much worse punishment than anything I could do and not end up there myself. Despite everything, I still love them just as much as if they were here with me right now. Which, I think they are. They say that people live on in those who love them; I love them and I definitely feel them with me at times.

And no matter what happens to in this crazy world, I'll always have them. I'll always be Rebecca Anne Wood, daughter of Katherine Anne Bell and Oliver Benjamin Wood.