Dementor Daycare : Autumn Harvest

Disclaimer: All Harry Potter names, characters and locations belong to J.K. Rowling. All El Chavo del Ocho names, characters and locations belong to Televisa. I own nothing that you recognize.

The last of the sunlight filtered through the clouds, colored pink and gold against the distant horizon. Pale streaks of amber light caressed the side of his face, his chin dipping and touching his chest as Credence began to doze in the failing sunlight. His mother thanked Soleil one last time for the outing, then proceeded to take him home.

It wasn't long until Aberforth was helping him out of his wheelchair, lifting him up and carrying him up the stairs to his room. During this time, Credence's eyes fluttered open, his gaze briefly focusing on the creaking staircase beneath his father's feet. So many of them. It was giving him flashbacks to the ceremony in Bhutan. It was something he never wanted to experience ever again.

Clinging to his father, the Obscurial whimpered and closed his eyes, tensing his muscles and shuddering.

"It's alright," Aberforth murmured, lowering him on to the mattress. Once he got him situated, he looked over at Dragon, who was standing in the doorway. "It surprises me," he said at length, pausing to brush the hair out of Credence's face. "Though perhaps I'm not used to it yet, the way he holds on to me like a child."

"You're still his father," said Dragon, her human guise changing into that of a winged wolf. The last of her sentence seemed to linger in the air, a word that felt so foreign even after six months had passed. It was a word that Credence hadn't spoken, though he had his own version of it, rasping out some variation that sounded more like farfe instead of father.

Aberforth stood beside the bed, then slowly he nodded. "Right. Father... of course that's what I am, but it doesn't feel like I've done much in terms of being an actual parent." A pause, then he added, "He won't let me."

"You're doing better than I was when I first adopted him," said Dragon. She folded her wings against her back and stepped into the room. "Credence used to hide from me and only came out when he needed something to eat. He used to stay in his Obscurus form, hiding in the air duct or in the cracks in the floorboards. When I left food out for him, he never came out of hiding until he was sure I'd left the room. But you know what?" She tilted her furry head, her lips forming a smile. "I think maybe we could help things along with a little gathering."

"And how do you suppose we'll do that?" Aberforth grumbled.

"You weren't around when Credence planned the celebration of diversity at Soleil's daycare. It helped bring everyone together. It wasn't long after that that the children sent him a care package full of gifts and goodies to cheer him up. Maybe you could organize something like that for Credence and the children at the family farm. It could help if you spent some time with him and the grandchildren."

The frown that creased the surly goat breeder's features curled into a sneer. Aberforth had never been one to engage in socializing, which was mostly due to his upbringing, as well as his dislike of people in general. He was a Dumbledore. He liked his privacy, living a quiet life away from all the idiots that populated the village.

That was how it always had been. For more than forty years, Aberforth had very little to do with the inhabitants of Hogsmeade, the one exception being Credence's mother. He opened his mouth, ready to refuse the idea of allowing visitors to the farm. But before the words had even formed on the tip of his tongue, he looked down at his son and started having second thoughts.

Everything was changing now that Credence had come into his life. Before he would have disregarded the notion of allowing a handful of children to visit the farm. But now he had someone else to think about. He had to consider what his son would want and how his decisions would affect the dying Obscurial. He had grandchildren too, which came as a surprise, since he hadn't expected Credence to have children of his own.

"I'll think about it," Aberforth finally stated, though his tone had softened somewhat.

Dragon nuzzled against Aberforth's hip, her snout brushing against the worn fabric of his trousers. "Thank you," she said, her gaze traveling upwards. "I'm sure it would make Creeds very happy to have the kids visit the farm and see the animals. And it'll be much easier than hauling him to the daycare and putting him on a bus for a field trip."

"Right." Aberforth flinched when she made contact but stayed firmly rooted to the spot. He swallowed the lump in his throat, maintaining his stoic appearance, then softly spoke. "Whatever makes him happy."

.oOo.

Unbeknownst to the gruff wizard, the topic of whether or not Soleil should use his farm as a field trip destination had been debated for a number of years. Not surprisingly, Dragon was the first to suggest visiting him three years prior to the discovery that Credence was Aberforth's son. Some had to wonder if she knew something they didn't. Either that or she had a fondness for the aroma of goats and fermented stew.

At first Barty had turned down the suggestion, stating that Aberforth didn't want Gellert chucking his pants in his face. Although nowadays a discarded pair of trousers would actually be an improvement. With this in mind, Barty told his wife that they could always take the children to the farm, only to have his idea dismissed by Soleil who wanted to give the old goat breeder a break from his rambunctious grandchildren.

"Think about it, love," said Barty, pushing the topic firmly in his wife's face. "What do children normally do this time of year? It's autumn, there are hay rides an' pumpkin carving, the sprouts could pick apples an' see the animals. Why, it would be a regular autumn festival."

The dementor sneezed. Apparently the thought of hay was enough to aggravate her allergies. This, of course, resulted in the inhalation of a box of tissues while she pondered the suggestion.

"I suppose we could take them for a visit to Hogsmeade to see the farm," she concluded, wiping her streaming nose. "Merlin, I hope he doesn't try conjuring anything extravagant. We don't need to be chasing Gel through a corn maze while picking up his discarded clothing along the way."

Chavo looked up at the mention of corn, salivating at the thought. "Is there going to be a maze of food and can I eat my way to freedom like that time we had pizza and Papa says I practically fell in it?" He said all of this rather quickly, already doing a Blue Skidoo across the carpet. However, his sister looked positively horrified at the thought of visiting the farm.

She approached her mother, her brow creasing with worry. "Mum, are we going to have to watch him sit on the goats? You know, like Mrs. Barebone used to sit on her leaf machine..." Her sentence ended abruptly, a reddish hue coloring her cheeks. Unable to hold her mother's gaze, she looked down at the carpet, and Soleil immediately understood what her daughter was talking about.

"Of course not!" the dementor spluttered, her husband aghast at such a thought. "Animals aren't supposed to be used as furniture. And they aren't for sacrificing to the No Pants God either, Gellert," she added, seeing the mischievous glint in her son's mismatched eyes.

Grindelwald pouted and threw his pants out the window. Severus, calm as usual, sat on the couch with a bag of cheesy crackers, happily stuffing his face. Chavo looked around at his siblings, confused by all this talk of sitting on farm animals and sacrificing goats for the sake of random nudity. This lasted for about ten seconds before Chavo started licking the cracker crumbs off the couch.

"Alright, enough of that." Barty reached over and seized his eldest son by the suspenders, lifting him off the furniture. Chavo grinned sheepishly. "Soleil, are we taking this lot t' the farm or not?"

"We'll have to ask Dragon and Aberforth first," the dementor replied. "If they say yes, we can start making preparations. We should also get a child harness unless we want Chavo out grazing in the field."

After their discussion, Soleil sent Barty's owl to Hogsmeade to see if the Dumbledore family was interested in having the children over for a field trip.

As usual, Credence was napping when Pinecone fluttered past the window. Aberforth had propped him up in front of the fireplace, placing him in his wheelchair with a blanket draped across his lap for warmth. The plush goat he'd been snuggling when he went to sleep and fallen from his grasp, its brown and white body crumpled on the floor.

Pinecone landed on the windowsill, incessantly bouncing and hooting. He tapped on the glass to no avail. There wasn't anyone around who would let him in. His feathers fluffed and he took a deep breath, inhaling far too much of the rancid aroma that was wafting from the kitchen. Apparently Aberforth was making lunch and had cracked the window open, perfuming his surroundings with the smell of his infamous stew.

Credence's phoenix, who was starting to come awake from the noise, looked up in time to see the owl go crosseyed from the stink. Pinecone staggered sideways and fell off the ledge, much to the delight of Fireflash, who snickered and wheezed.

The ancient bird shifted on his perch, coughing and shedding copious amounts of ash. He burped up a fireball just as Aberforth entered the room to check on his son. The shimmering flames shot into the air, and all the while Credence continued to sleep, unaware of the goings on in the room. Even Ariana in her portrait rolled her eyes, unamused by Fireflash's hacking laughter.

Aberforth was so used to this he casually sidestepped the soot covered bird, ducking as the fireball went soaring past his head. "Aurelius," he said softly, stooping to pick up the plush goat. He stood beside his son, watching the steady rise and fall of his chest. "Just sleeping," Aberforth muttered, depositing the stuffed animal on Credence's lap.

The sound of tapping caught his attention, causing him to turn. Pinecone had reappeared at the windowsill and was desperately trying to get the wizard's attention. Aberforth crossed the room and opened the window, snatching the roll of parchment that was tied to the owl's leg. Pinecone let out a shriek when the twine snapped, then indignantly fluffed his feathers. He glared at the surly goat breeder, who didn't even bother to notice his irritation.

"So they want to know if we'd be interested in bringing the children to the farm for a field trip." Aberforth read the letter through twice before turning and calling out Dragon's name. "I'm going to need a good stiff drink before I can even think about how we'll do this," he grumbled, leaving his sleeping son and heading down the stairs.

.oOo.

After much planning and several mugs of mead, everything was organized for the children's field trip. For the first time in the history of the inn, there were decorations to celebrate the autumn equinox, including colorful wreaths made from seasonal materials, such as leaves, sunflowers, acorns and pinecones. Vases were placed along the counter, each one overflowing with gorgeous sunflowers.

The goat shed received its share of decorations as well. Pumpkins were neatly stacked amid bales of hay, providing food for the animals and decorations for the children. The final touch was a scarecrow Aberforth placed in the field next to an assortment of grapevines and flowers.

On the day of the field trip, seven children were loaded onto the bus and taken to Hogsmeade. As usual, Gellert had dropped his pants and was pressing his backside against the window, laughing heartily while Alecto hastened to join him. The baby Death Eater was squirming and trying to escape from her shiny car seat while Barty attempted to adjust the straps. She actually succeeded in kicking off one of her shoes, which struck her fellow Death Eater in the face.

Chilindrina started screaming about not wanting to see Gellert's golf club, to which he expressed his disdain by smacking his rear and laughing. Without a moment's hesitation, the little girl rolled up her sleeves and stomped across the bus. Still laughing, Gellert attempted a rather awkward bunny hop with his pants around his ankles, one foot trying to shake off the offending garment so he he could run from Credence's daughter.

Hop, hop, hop, splat. Gellert went sprawling on the floor just as Chilindrina dove on top of him, ignoring his flailing arms as she lifted the squealing toddler off the ground.

"Chilindrina!" Soleil shouted, hurrying down the aisle towards her son. "Put him down this instant, young lady." The dementor was able to grasp her son's ankle just as Chilindrina was about the fling him onto the grass, resulting in a tug-of-war between Soleil and the little girl.

Severus and Quico ignored the entire spectacle. Apparently cheesy crackers and koalas were far more interesting than watching Chilindrina on one side of a nearly nude Gel trying to throw him off the bus, while his mother stood on the other side, trying to wrestle him from her grasp and put his clothes back on.

Quico sucked his thumb, snuggling his koala while Severus looked out the window and shoveled more cheesy crackers in his face. Severus continued his uninterrupted snack binge for the fifteen minutes it took to restore calm to the bus. His older brother Chavo didn't get involved. The sandwich lover had chosen to sit in the back of the bus with his hands over his eyes, occasionally peeking through his fingers to check that it was over.

By the time they arrived at the Hog's Head Inn, Gellert had three enchanted ribbons holding up his trousers. A new record for the rambunctious rugrat. He was still firmly planted in his seat with his arms folded over his chest, pouting and more than a little irritated, by the time the other children had been led off the bus.

"Come on now," said Barty, taking Gellert by the hand. He tried to lead the toddler off the bus, but his son wouldn't budge. "The others are waitin' outside. You want t' see the decorations an' play sum games, don't you?"

His son let out a wail, refusing to be led off the bus. Eventually the Death Eater had to resort to lifting him out of his seat and carrying the flailing toddler outside, where Gellert promptly received a lecture from his mother. Chilindrina was warned about her behavior while Barty seized his son by the wrist and marched him down the path, away from the bus.

The other children were too busy gazing in wonder at the cobblestone path and tall buildings that lined the street. One of the buildings, an older, dilapidated form, loomed in the distance, looking like it was leaning at an awkward angle. A stone wall wound its way around the building, next to some barrels and a large wooly goat that was grazing on some grass. It was here that Gellert was made to sit and think about his actions, perched on a barrel with the goat glaring at him.

"Look at that," said Chavo, pointing out a creaking sign that hung overhead. It wasn't exactly a child-friendly atmosphere, the faded sign sporting the image of a slaughtered boar's head with blood dripping from its severed neck. Not that Chavo really thought much of the gory scene. "Do you think that means they have food here? Like ham and bacon and pork butt and pork boobs and - "

"Bloody yummies!" Alecto spouted, cutting him off in mid-sentence. The baby Death Eater had been secured in her stroller and was waving her sloth plushie in anticipation, thinking she was about to be served a delicious beverage.

"I don't know about that." Chavo shrugged, his attention focused on the barrel Gellert was sitting on. "But that looks like a good place to have some snacks. Do you think we can order from the barrels and have lunch there?"

While Chavo was busy admiring his new vacation home, Soleil gathered the rest of the children and got them moving towards the inn. "This is where we'll be having our field trip," she said, steering him in the direction of the path. "It's called the Hog's Head Inn, which is like an old fashioned hotel for people who are visiting the village."

"So we'll be staying in the barrels?" Chavo asked.

"Not this time," his mother replied, explaining that there were rooms inside of the building where people are meant to stay, as well as plenty of food and drinks for visitors. "Although I'm not sure if Aberforth's cooking is fit for human consumption," she added, just as her son sprinted down the path, eager to partake of the local delicacies.

Barty chuckled, seeing his son racing up the steps. "I'll stay 'ere with Gellert, love. You go on ahead. We'll catch up af'er this little one has a sit." He then turned to his son, looking down at the ornery toddler. "You see tha', Gel? The other children can go in an' play because they know how t' behave properly. For now you'll be staying out 'ere an' smelling the goats. Might give you time t' think about what you did."

"Goaty goats?" Quico said, his inquiring tone catching Soleil's attention. She smiled at him, keeping her tone gentle as she spoke.

"Yes, Quico. There are lots of baby animals for you to play with. There will be games and activities, and later we can have snacks before going home. Though I want you to know that Aberforth is here too. I know he smells funny and can be a little scary sometimes, but Credence is here and you have your koala if you need a comfort friend. You're perfectly safe and we love you."

Her words didn't seem to ease his anxiety. Modesty was feeling nervous as well, staying close to Quico as they stepped over the threshold and entered the building. The floorboards announced their arrival, causing Modesty to startle at the sound. Without thinking, she latched on to Quico's sleeve, just as he tightened his grip on his koala.

Chilindrina, on the other hand, was already pushing past Severus on her way to see her father. "Where is he?" she called out, and this time it was Quico who cringed at the noise. "Where's Papa? He didn't get taken away for emergency surgery, did he? Because I have to approve all procedures first!"

Seeing that Quico and Modesty were visibly frightened, Soleil decided to intervene before things got out of hand. She expertly took charge of the situation, informing the children that they needed to pick a table and sit quietly while they waited for Aberforth and Dragon.

Chavo was the only one who did as he was told, plopping down at the nearest table and asking to see the menu. Modesty, who was utterly horrified at the thought of meeting her brother's father, clung to Quico like a koala. Alecto leaned over and reached for some straw, wondering what it tasted like, and it was only because of Soleil's quick response that she didn't stuff the whole lot in her mouth.

As usual everything was off to a wonderful start.