Chelonian: belonging or pertaining to the order Chelonia, comprising the turtles.

March 27, 2013

"Jamie," Hermione shot out a hand to catch her nephew as he tried to dart around her, chasing after his sister.

"Don't think you can outrun me, Lily!" he shouted, wiping at the lip gloss smears on his cheeks.

Hermione chose to overlook the obvious evidence of an oncoming fight in favor of a somewhat more pressing matter. "Do you know where your brother is?"

James shrugged. "He's not the one that tried to give me a makeover."

Hermione took out a handkerchief and began rubbing the residual blush streaks and glitter off James's face. "I haven't seen Al since lunch," she said, frowning.

James shrugged again, wriggling free. "I dunno. Maybe he's hiding. He does weird stuff like that."

"But what would he be hiding from?" Hermione asked in bafflement.

James held up his hands. "Like I said, Al's weird." Then he charged down the stairs, yelling: "Kiss your toad good-bye, Lily!"

There was a shriek. Hermione sighed.

"Just think what your mother will do if you touch that toad!" she shouted after him.

She loved her niece and nephews almost as much as her own children, but an afternoon watching them was never a quiet one. It was hard to tell if adding Rose and Hugo to the mix made things less chaotic or more, but at least when Rose was around she never lost Albus.

She had no idea where he'd gotten off to, and it was starting to make her panic a little bit. Not downstairs. Not in the attic. Not out in the yard. She pushed open his bedroom door for the third time as if somehow she'd missed him sitting placidly on his rug, building a block castle, but of course the room was empty.

Thinking about what James had said, Hermione opened the wardrobe door and checked behind hanging jumpers and piled socks. She got down on her knees and peered under the desk and then the bed, but all that was under there was a bunched-up green blanket.

"Olly-olly-oxenfree," she called, half-mocking herself as she tried not to imagine what Harry would do when he got home to find one less child than he'd left her with. Maybe two if James did anything to Lily's toad.

She had stood up and was just about to leave the room to check the hall closet when a muffled sneeze stopped her in her tracks. She looked back towards the bed, a sudden idea occurring to her. Kneeling beside the bed again, this time Hermione reached for the green blanket. There was a little squeak as her fingers found something warm.

"Al? Is that you?" she asked, thoroughly relieved.

"Um… no," said a deliberately high, squeaky voice. "It's Marvin the mouse. Al lets me live under his bed."

"Oh, really?" Hermione said, sitting back on her heals and trying not to let her smile into her voice. "Well, Marvin, I'm looking for Al. He's my nephew, you see, and I can't find him anywhere. I'm starting to get rather worried."

"If I see him, I'll tell him." This was followed by another muffled sneeze.

"My, it must be awfully dusty under there," Hermione commented. "You know, dust makes Al sneeze. Are you sure he's not hiding under there, too? I was really hoping he might help me make some cookies this afternoon, but if I can't find him, I won't be able to make any."

"Well, he might beh –" Marvin sneezed again. "– be under here. I'll check."

Hermione settled back against the wall and waited. A moment later a green blanket covered in dust wiggled out from under the bed. Hermione peeled back a part of the blanket and two green eyes stared back at her like a turtle peeking out from under its shell.

"There you are!" she said, smiling at her nephew. He sat up, rubbing his nose, and dust swirled around him. Of all the hiding places…. "What were you doing under there, Al? Didn't you hear me looking for you?"

Albus shrugged, sniffling. "It's cool under there. James can't find me."

Hermione shook her head and carefully pealed the dusty blanket from around his shoulders.

Albus glanced at the door and leaned forward to whisper, "I got Mummy's old makeup down for Lily."

Almost on cue there was a squeal from the living room and a bellow of "AL!"

Albus pulled the blanket back over his head and retreated once more into his dusty shell.

A/N: Albus strikes me as the sort of kid who would be a bit like a timid turtle. But not so timid that he won't pull one over on his brother. Cute kid. And I've always thought Ron and Hermione would get quite the work out watching Harry and Ginny's kids. Anyway…. Review please! Pretty please!