Part Six: Like Mother, Like Daughter
Lily's eyes were wide as she surveyed the strange man now sitting in her living room. As she gave a half-hearted attempt at pretending to play with her dolls, the man flipped through stations on the telly with a curious sort of fascination, as though he had never seen it before. So she stared, unabashed, as his brow wrinkled in concentration over a cartoon children's show. She had never seen anyone quite like him before, so unaware of the societal rules that governed her life, a blatant rebel against public niceties and conventions. Lily supposed she had never seen a man quite so wonderful in all her life! And yet, she knew nothing about him, only that he wished to take her mother away from her, to his mother in some place she didn't know. Of course, this fact didn't really bother Lily; as close as she was to her mother, she'd never felt particularly possessive of her. After all, she was her child, her one and only daughter, and her mother's loyalty had always been clear and unwavering. She was, however, quite curious about the secrecy with which her mother had conducted this stranger's visit, and what sort of people and places would put her mother in such a state that she would neglect to include her in her conversations, as she was accustomed to.
Carefully, Lily crawled the length of the floor over to the swinging kitchen doorway, peeking in the door at her mother, who was twittering away with something on the stove. When at last she was sure that her mother would not soon be returning to the common room, Lily crept over to the chair in which the red-haired man was seated, stopping a few feet in front of it to wait for the perfect moment to begin her interrogation.
"Excuse me, sir." she said, tugging slightly on his pant leg as she spoke.
"Oh!" said the man, looking down at the girl at his feet. "Hello there. Lily, is it?" The strange man lowered himself off of the chair and to his knees on the floor, where he extended a hand to Lily.
"Yes, sir." She said, obliging. "And you're...Mr...Weasley?"
He laughed. "You can call me Fred. All the kids back home do."
"Kids?" Lily smiled. "You mean your children?"
"Gads! No. I mean the children I work for. Er-- the children who come to my shop."
"Shop? What sort of a shop?"
Leaning back against his chair, Fred stretched his legs out in front of him, Lily quickly scooting up to take a closer seat next to him. "You are a curious one, aren't you? Just like your mother. I work in a joke shop near London; we sell pranks and tricks to school kids in the area."
"We?"
"Well...I guess it is just me now, isn't it? I used to run the shop with my brother, you see, before he...ah...died."
"He died?" the man merely looked down at his hands and nodded. "I've seen people die before, you know."
Looking up once more, the man cocked his head to oneside, surveying Lily with the same intent gaze he'd used when looking at the television. "Have you?"
"Yes." She said, nodding solemnly. "In my dreams, all the time." Then, without even a second thought to just how trustworthy this man might be, Lily let slip a secret that she had withheld even from her mother. "I think one of them might be my dad."
Blinking furiously at his surprise, Fred tried not to gasp. "Your-- your dad?"
"Yes. ...Do you know my father?"
For a moment, it seemed to Fred as though he simply would not, could not answer her. He could only stare into those large green eyes set in freckled face framed by vibrant curling hair and wait for it, the moment when he would know. And then it was there-- a spark, the tiniest tinkling bell of recognition deep in the recesses of his mind. Yes. "Yeah...yeah, I'd like to think that I do."
Lily's eyes were wide as she surveyed the strange man now sitting in her living room. As she gave a half-hearted attempt at pretending to play with her dolls, the man flipped through stations on the telly with a curious sort of fascination, as though he had never seen it before. So she stared, unabashed, as his brow wrinkled in concentration over a cartoon children's show. She had never seen anyone quite like him before, so unaware of the societal rules that governed her life, a blatant rebel against public niceties and conventions. Lily supposed she had never seen a man quite so wonderful in all her life! And yet, she knew nothing about him, only that he wished to take her mother away from her, to his mother in some place she didn't know. Of course, this fact didn't really bother Lily; as close as she was to her mother, she'd never felt particularly possessive of her. After all, she was her child, her one and only daughter, and her mother's loyalty had always been clear and unwavering. She was, however, quite curious about the secrecy with which her mother had conducted this stranger's visit, and what sort of people and places would put her mother in such a state that she would neglect to include her in her conversations, as she was accustomed to.
Carefully, Lily crawled the length of the floor over to the swinging kitchen doorway, peeking in the door at her mother, who was twittering away with something on the stove. When at last she was sure that her mother would not soon be returning to the common room, Lily crept over to the chair in which the red-haired man was seated, stopping a few feet in front of it to wait for the perfect moment to begin her interrogation.
"Excuse me, sir." she said, tugging slightly on his pant leg as she spoke.
"Oh!" said the man, looking down at the girl at his feet. "Hello there. Lily, is it?" The strange man lowered himself off of the chair and to his knees on the floor, where he extended a hand to Lily.
"Yes, sir." She said, obliging. "And you're...Mr...Weasley?"
He laughed. "You can call me Fred. All the kids back home do."
"Kids?" Lily smiled. "You mean your children?"
"Gads! No. I mean the children I work for. Er-- the children who come to my shop."
"Shop? What sort of a shop?"
Leaning back against his chair, Fred stretched his legs out in front of him, Lily quickly scooting up to take a closer seat next to him. "You are a curious one, aren't you? Just like your mother. I work in a joke shop near London; we sell pranks and tricks to school kids in the area."
"We?"
"Well...I guess it is just me now, isn't it? I used to run the shop with my brother, you see, before he...ah...died."
"He died?" the man merely looked down at his hands and nodded. "I've seen people die before, you know."
Looking up once more, the man cocked his head to oneside, surveying Lily with the same intent gaze he'd used when looking at the television. "Have you?"
"Yes." She said, nodding solemnly. "In my dreams, all the time." Then, without even a second thought to just how trustworthy this man might be, Lily let slip a secret that she had withheld even from her mother. "I think one of them might be my dad."
Blinking furiously at his surprise, Fred tried not to gasp. "Your-- your dad?"
"Yes. ...Do you know my father?"
For a moment, it seemed to Fred as though he simply would not, could not answer her. He could only stare into those large green eyes set in freckled face framed by vibrant curling hair and wait for it, the moment when he would know. And then it was there-- a spark, the tiniest tinkling bell of recognition deep in the recesses of his mind. Yes. "Yeah...yeah, I'd like to think that I do."