Wonderful chapter 4

Muggle Machine Magic

In the Wizarding world, the untapped talents of children often resulted in . . . mishaps; most being innocent if not humorous. On rare occasions, it could get serious. Eileen saw that she was going to have to teach her son how to block out the random thoughts of Muggles. On their way home, she told him, "Even if you do hear some of the thoughts that seep out of people, you don't need to act on them."

Severus rolled his eyes and replied, "Okay."

After running into a string of stores, mother and son made their way back home. It would not be long before they'd have to be going back to the Serpents Tongue. On seeing the little cottage at the end of Spinner's End, Eileen wasn't sure if she wanted Tobias to be home, or if she wished he wasn't. He was not home. The first thing Ele attended to was the bread, cheese, and fruit she had bought. That was not what Sev cared about. He wanted his mother to get out the other thing she had in the bag. It was a Muggle thing called a record; what's more, his Dad had the Muggle machine that played the plastic disc. As soon as they were in the door he had pleaded, "Mummy, can we play it?"

Ele wanted to do a few things first. "In a bit."

Sev's idea of what 'a bit' was was not that long. Once the food was put away, and a pear had been handed to him, he asked again, "Can we play it now Mum?"

Ele felt a bit tired, but she couldn't say no. "Go get the player, and plug it in."

The six year old scooted off like a fox chased by hounds. Going too fast made him slide past the staircase by a foot. A bite was taken out of the pear before little feet flew up the stairs to his parents' room. That was where the Muggle machine was kept. It being closed already made it easy for the boy to grab the handle, after stowing the pear between his teeth, as it would take both hands to carry it down. Sev managed to bring it to the living room and set the thing up. The only thing needed now was, "Mum!" Severus was so excited he was jumping out of his skin. "Mum, it's all set."

"Okay, okay," Ele called back from the kitchen. "A wizard must learn patients," she reminded while entering the living room. It wasn't the expectation of the record alone that had Sev so worked up. He forgot the piece of fruit he was eating. He knew that Eileen would add her 'special' touch. He remembered a long time ago, one of his first memories was both of his parents listening to records on the Muggle machine, his mother making a saxophone dance around from the end of her wand. He remembered that was before his father had gotten angry, when he didn't mind magic so much.

"Alright," Ele said as she took the record out of its paper sleeve. The record was put on the player, the needle put on it. From the scratchy monotone speaker came the song, 'Puff the Magic Dragon.' They had heard it once on another Muggle machine, a radio. Both mother and son were amused by it. This time, on their own record player, the music amused the boy again. The best part was that Ele used her wand to produce the image of a miniature dragon that flew about the room. It was green with silver polka dots; apparently, it was a Slytherin dragon. Little black eyes never left the tiny creature until the end of the song when it disappeared.

With a keen air about him the little wizard asked, "Again Mum?"

"I am a bit out of practice," Eileen marked. "It's nice to use magic again."

This time she used her wand to move the arm of the player to start the record again. When the music continued, not only was the tiny dragon produced, but the scenery as well. The sea, a little boy; with black eyes mind you, a boat with a billowing sail, pirate ships, and other such things until the lonely dragon went back into his cave at the end of the song.

"That part of the song is sad Mum." It was not a question that Severus had put forth but a statement. The boy had thought about it. "Why didn't the dragon's friend want to play with him anymore?"

'Oh dear,' Ele thought to herself. To her son she said, "There is one thing that is as sure as the rising of the sun. In the Wizarding world and in the Muggle world, people change." Eileen wasn't sure that Severus understood.

"Change?" The boy grew wistful. "Like Dad?"

Eileen took a deep breath. "Speaking of your father, you better go put his record player back upstairs. We're going to have to go soon."

"Can we play it one more time?"

"You can play it, but I'm going to take a break." Ele plopped down on a sofa. Instead of going to replay the record, Sev was at her side asking, "Can, can I try?"

"Try what?" It had not dawned on her what he meant.

"To make the dragon."

"You don't have a wand."

"Can I use yours?"

Ele hated saying no to her son, but this was something she couldn't give in on. "I'm sorry; you know you're only a little over half the age when a wizard is allowed to have a wand."

Severus was disappointed, but he knew she was right. 'Five more years,' he mused. Then he was satisfied to go and listen to the record one more time. He found that even without his mother's wand work, he could see the dragon in his own mind as the record spun around. In a way, the Muggle machine did have its own magic.