September 2012
It was Seamus' first day of school. She tugged on the little tee-shirt he wore. It was scarlet. He wore a lot of that and gold. It was a little thing, but she couldn't resist it. It had only been a few years and she used as little magic as possible, but she couldn't help dressing her son up in her old colors. She had scrounged and saved as much money as she could to buy the new clothes for her son. She wanted him to go to school looking as good as he could.
"Now, you be good, dear. Listen to the teacher and learn what she wants to teach you. You'll make lots of friends, Seamus." She stood up after giving him one more hug.
"Mu-um," he looked around, embarrassed. He was scared to go to school but he definitely didn't want the other boys in kindergarten to think he was a wuss or actually needed his mum.
She smiled at Seamus. "I know, I know. You're such a big boy." She ran her hand lovingly over his black hair. He looked so much like his father. It was always a bit heart-wrenching to look at him. "Go in there and have fun."
Seamus grinned, his father's smile. "Fun, mum? Should I have fun or should I be good?"
She shook her head at her son. "I have faith that you can do both, young man." She turned him around and swatted him on the rear end to get him moving. "And I'll hear it from the teacher otherwise."
He grinned over his shoulder at his mum as he went into the classroom. She hugged herself around the middle, wishing she could just grab him back and never let him go. As she stood there for another moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see a woman about her height and age smiling at her.
"He'll be fine."
Lavender tried to smile at the woman consoling her. "I hope so."
Annie Dursley took her hand off the blonde woman's shoulder. "I just sent my second one in to do battle with the dreaded kindergarten. It actually gets easier with each one."
"I only have one child."
"I still have one at home." Annie shook her head. "I have a few more years to go for him." Lavender sighed. "Would you like to go for some coffee? Tea? I'm Annie, by the way. Annie Dursley."
Lavender cocked her head. "Lavender Murray. My head boss is named Dursley."
"Oh, you work at Grunings?"
Lavender nodded. "I work in assembly." She looked at her watch. "In fact, I should be going for the bus now. I was given the morning off so I could bring Seamus to school."
"I drive by there on my way home. Would you like me to drop you off? I actually have a whole day to myself. My mother-in-law stole my son for the day." Annie smiled.
Lavender thought quickly. If she took the bus, there'd be at least one change and it would take her more than an hour to get there. If she got a ride, it would take her less than twenty minutes to get to work. "I'd appreciate it, Annie. Thank you."
"Sure, no problem, Lavender. My car's out here." Annie led Lavender to the modest sedan she drove. "So, how long have you worked at Grunings?"
"About seven years now, I guess." Lavender buckled her seatbelt as she answered. "What do you do?"
Annie smiled as she drove out of the parking lot. "I illustrate children's books. It's my dream job, actually. Once I got pregnant with my second daughter, Melissa, who is the one I just dropped off, by the way, my husband and I decided we'd be able to get by if I stayed home. He has a good job with the school district. I had been getting independent commissions to illustrate and we just decided to go with it and hope for the best."
Lavender nodded. "Nice." She smiled. "The job at Grunings isn't really that exciting or anything, but it helps pay the bills."
Annie laughed. "Oh, I know. That's where I met Dudley. He's Vernon Dursley's son. I worked in reception."
Lavender snorted, "I can just imagine the calls you got." Lavender deepened her voice, "I need a hundred variable speed hammer drills in bright fuchsia to appeal to the little ladies."
"Why, yes, sir, let me get you with the director of merchandising. Please hold and listen to this lovely tune sung by the latest pop sensation that will get then get stuck in your head for days unending."
The two women laughed at their silliness. Lavender marveled a bit at the easy conversation she was having with a woman she had just met. Annie reminded her of Parvati, easy to talk to. Lavender hadn't had a friend in a long while. She had really only had Tommy for the last few years, and he had been distant for so long. It would be nice to have a friend again. Maybe, just maybe, Annie would prove to be that friend.
AN: I don't know if all British schools make their kids wear unifors from infancy, so I decided to go with the idea that the little kids, at least, could still wear whatever they liked. Don't throw anything at me if I'm wrong, please. It pleases me to have Lavender put Seamus in Gryffindor colors.